A serving Major Gen. who played a key role in a surgical strike on northeast militants' bases in Myanmarin 2015, has been dismissed without pension over a case of sexual harassment involving a serving woman officer. The incident allegedly took place in 2016 when he was posted in Kohima, Nagaland as inspector Gen., Assam Rifles (North).
"Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat has confirmed the sentence awarded to the officer. The decision of the Chief of Army Staff was intimated to the Major Gen. by the 2 Corps Commander Lt Gen MJS Kahlon on Friday in Ambala," Army officials told the media.
The Army chief had confirmed last month the sentence against Major Gen. RS Jaswal recommended by the Army General Court Martial last Dec.
The officer has been charged under Section 69 of the Army Act read with Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for conduct unbecoming of an officer, a source said. "The alleged incident happened just a few days before he was moving out of Nagaland on posting in Dec, 2016. A Captain from Judge Advocate Gen.'s Branch submitted a written complaint to her superiors, alleging he had called her to his room late in the evening for official work & misbehaved with her," the source said.
Major Gen. had blamed ‘factional feud’
Soon after the woman officer’s complaint was received, the Army headquarters attached Major Gen Jaswal to the 17th Corps at Ranchi for the conduct of disciplinary proceedings.
He challenged the disciplinary proceedings before the Delhi bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) & denied the charges against him saying he was a victim of a “factional feud” in the Army’s top hierarchy.
The officer was later attached to an Army formation in Ambala for disciplinary proceedings.
The trial, shifted to Chandimandir near Chandigarh, concluded in June, 2018. The court martial was chaired by a Lt. Gen. & had six Major Gen's as members.
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