Army officials in India say an inquiry has taken place into reports that troops on the Siachen glacier may have faked enemy killings to claim bravery awards. They were reacting to reports which said nearly a third of enemy deaths reported last year may have been false. Siachen, which is in Indian-administered Kashmir, is often described as the world's highest battlefield. Indian and Pakistani soldiers regularly exchanged fire in icy conditions before a current ceasefire. A national daily, the Hindustan Times, reported on Friday that at least a third of nearly 50 "claimed kills" on the glacier last year, could be false.
| Bet it's the same on the Pak side. Troops are trying to stay alive from the cold and the altitude and don't have much insentive to fight each other. If they don't report fighting the brass may come sniffing around, so they fake it. |
A defence source told the BBC that an "an investigation was launched earlier this year after reports of irregularities about the claims of enemy killings came to light". He however, refused to disclose the outcome of the inquiry. An army spokesman said action would be taken if anyone was found guilty of "committing such grave irregularities".
| What are they going to do, make them stay on the glacier? |
Media reports say a young officer of the Gorkha Rifles battalion, currently posted in the Siachen Glacier, had revealed the specific details of the alleged "false killings" made by his company to an army court of inquiry. The alleged fraud was carried out between July and November last year. Reports said the fake killings were video recorded to stake claim awards and citations for "imagined gallantry".
| Gee, now where have I heard that (cough*kerry*cough) before? |
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