A recent news item headlined "Col(onel) hangs self” reported that the reason for the act was "too personal.” Social media said the suicide followed a court martial (CM) for having an extramarital affair or, as euphemistically described in armed forces, "stealing the affection of a brother officer’s wife.” Unfortunately, there is nothing surprising about such a situation. An unknown 12th century poet had written: "The pure pleasure of sex is possible only in adultery.”
Liaisons with the "aadhi gharwali (sister-in-law)” or the buxom housemaid do not come under the purview of a CM. These are termed domestic upheavals and people are left to sort them out on their own, which is more difficult. In a CM situation, one is fortunate to have a friend-of-the-accused to assist.
But not all CMs lead to the end of a rope. Much depends on how the command handles the situation.
I recollect one such incident on board an aircraft carrier way back in the mid- 1960s. I was a junior pilot in the squadron on board the carrier in the Bay of Bengal.
The briefing for a sortie would commence an hour before launch. One day pilot A, who was programed for the first launch, did not show up and yours truly, on stand-by, was sent in his place. However, A did not show up for subsequent sorties either. All efforts to locate him were unsuccessful. Nor was there a man overboard situation. Later in the day the senior pilot of the squadron was informed that A would not be flying and that he was not even on board the carrier. And this in the middle of the Bay of Bengal! Slowly, the story unraveled.
In those days families ashore could keep in touch with their dear ones on board Indian Navy ships only by normal post addressed to the Fleet Mail Office, irrespective of where the ship was operating. The mail was delivered to the base where the ship was or at the nearest port-of-call, something akin to "56 APO” (Central Base Post Office at New Delhi) of the Army. Those on an aircraft carrier were fortunate as the helicopter would be sent ashore, when in range, to pick up the mail. This was sorted and letters addressed to officers were placed in the wardroom from where they could be picked up.
While going through the mail late one evening C saw a letter in familiar handwriting addressed to one of his junior officers. Intrigued, he slipped the letter into his pocket and later, to his discomfiture, realized that it was a billet doux (love letter) from his wife, B, addressed to A. After much introspection, he brought the misdemeanor to the notice of the ship’s captain who was also the Officer in Tactical Command (OTC) of the units at sea. What actually transpired that night remains unknown, but the captain immediately summoned one of the frigates in the carrier group, INS Kuthar, to come alongside and transferred A, lock, stock and barrel by jackstay (transfer of men and material from one ship to another whilst in motion). The frigate was then directed to proceed with dispatch (haste), directly to Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, disembark the passenger and return. And so, A was consigned that very night to "Kala Pani.” What transpired in the Islands is another story.
It is to the credit of the mature handling of the delicate situation by the commanding officer that A, B and C lived happily thereafter.
The lesson from this is that a CM is not necessarily the answer. And there was yet another advantage — I moved up from the lower deck to the newly vacated cabin on an upper deck.
Cmde MEDIOMA BHADA (retd)
mrbhada@gmail.com