50 Army troops may face action in Meerut jawan-officer brawl

Around 50 Army personnel including a Major are facing the prospect of disciplinary action for a brawl between officers and troops in Meerut during a boxing match in October.
The officers and soldiers of the 10 Sikh Light Infantry had clashed in Meerut during a boxing match leaving two officers including the second-in-command of the unit injured.
The Army Court of Inquiry headed by a brigadier is in the final stages of completing its report in which it is understood to have recommended disciplinary action against the jawans and officer involved in the incident, sources said.
The inquiry report was yet to be finalised and has not been handed over to the Western Command for further action, Army sources said.

The 10 Sikh LI unit is part of the regiment of Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh and he had ordered an expeditious inquiry to be done into the case.
The CoI officers had questioned over 100 jawans and officers involved in the brawl.

The incident had taken place during an inter-company boxing match there.
In the last couple of years, the number of clashes between officers and jawans has gone up considerably.
On August 8, 2012, jawans agitated against the commanding officer and certain functionaries of the 16 cavalry unit in Samba, while on May 10-11, 2012, a case of manhandling involving officers and other ranks of the 226 artillery unit took place at the Mahe field firing range in Leh.

On April 29, 2010, an altercation had taken place between an officer and a jawan of the 45 cavalry unit in Gurdaspur.
The army has already taken steps against its personnel in these cases and more than 200 officers and jawans have faced disciplinary or administrative action last year.
After incidents of clashes between officers and jawans, Army commanders have been told to exercise zero tolerance in such cases and exemplary punishment is promulgated to give "necessary preventive lessons" to the personnel.