Nov. 3: Havildar Avdhesh Sharma of the 19 Assam Rifles shot his company commander, Captain S.J.R. Chowdhury, and Subedar Ranjit Mamin this morning in Nundamkuki in Manipur, three days after Lieutenant Colonel Saket Saxena of the 28 Rashtriya Rifles was killed by his junior at Harwan near Srinagar.

Sharma, who apparently killed them because of denial of leave, later tried to commit suicide and was in a critical condition. Sharma is from Bihar while Mamin belongs to Manipur.

Over the past two weeks, eight soldiers have fallen to bullets of juniors in four incidents of fragging — the US military term for killing a senior officer or attempting to do so. Another soldier turned the gun on himself.

Alarmed by the growing number of attacks on officers, the army has decided to improve communication between soldiers and their seniors and create a friendly atmosphere within the ranks.

“There are around 100 suicides in the army in a year and the ratio is the same this year. A few cases of fragging have also taken place,” army chief General J.J. Singh said after presenting presidential colours to troops of the J-K Light Infantry here today.

“There can be varied reasons. There could be a leadership failure at the unit or sub-unit level. The soldier could also be facing domestic or personal problems,” Singh said.

The problem of inadequate number of officers has forced the army to appoint junior officers like lieutenant colonels and captains — who are to usually lead sections or platoons — as company commanders.

“We need proactive action. We will focus on imparting training with a focus on reducing the gap between soldiers and officers and inculcating discipline,” Singh said. He mentioned that better medication facilities and counsellors were also part of the plan.

General Singh also said the new central pay commission was ready and a salary hike for soldiers was due. “We will also provide more family accommodation for soldiers.