Col found guilty in Siachen fake killing case

Chandigarh, Nov 15 (UNI) The General Court Martial (GMC) hearing the Siachen fake killing case has found former Commanding Officer of 5/5 GR Col KD Singh guilty on the charge of his unit members staging fake killings to earn gallantry awards in 2003.

The Colonel was found guilty of suppressing information from his superiors despite having knowledge of it.

The seven-member GMC, presided by Brigadier Manvender Singh yesterday, sentenced Col Singh to forfeit two years of his Army service for calculating pension benefits and ordered severe reprimand of his acts of commissions and ommissions in fake killing case.

The GMC also found him guilty of collecting over Rs three lakh from his men against the Army rules in the name of 'glacier fund' and have loaned over Rs two lakh to the person who supplied daily goods to battalion at eight percent interest.

The former CO was not found guilty on two other counts that he forced two riflemen of his battalion to seek premature discharge from military services and cancelling a warning letter issued to Maj Surinder Singh--the company commander -- who enacted the fake killing drama.

UNI DP VD BS1914