Navy officer faces court martial for molesting a child

A board of inquiry has found the naval commander guilty of molesting the daughter of a colleague.

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 child reported the commander’s inappropriate behaviour to her parents after which the navy set up a board of inquiry against the officer.(File Photo)

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.