Navy officer faces court martial for molesting child

THE INCIDENT TOOK PLACE DURING A PARTY AND THE SCHOOLGOING CHILD REPORTED THE OFFICER’S BEHAVIOUR TO HER PARENTS

A navy officer is likely to be sacked and jailed for molesting a child after an inquiry found him guilty of the sexual offence rarely heard of in the military.

The commander faces a general court martial, which would be convened shortly, for molesting the daughter of a colleague at the military’s prestigious Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Tamil Nadu’s Wellington, sources said.

The incident happened during a party and the child reported the commander’s inappropriate behaviour to her parents after which the navy set up a board of inquiry against the officer.

The commander, who was undergoing the staff course at DSSC, inappropriately touched the school-going child, sources said.

He would be awarded an exemplary punishment, a navy officer said. “The navy has zero tolerance for such actions,” he said. A navy commander is equivalent to a lieutenant colonel in the army.

The commander is likely to be tried under the protection of children from sexual offences act, a stringent law enacted in 2012 to prevent abuse and exploitation of children, sources said.

The DSSC trains major/lieutenant colonel-ranked officers of the army, navy and air force as well as bureaucrats and soldiers from friendly foreign countries. Officers have to clear a written exam before being selected for the course, considered to be a stepping stone for career progression.

Officers’ are awarded a master’s degree in defence and strategic studies from University of Madras at the end of the one-year course.

The commander has completed the course but would not be awarded the degree.