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Defence ministry rejects ‘ketchup colonel’s’ reinstatement plea |
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The Defence Ministry has rejected a reinstatement plea filed by a former Indian Army colonel who was dismissed from service for faking terrorists’ killings by photographing the “victims” after splashing their bodies with tomato ketchup.
Col. H.S. Kohli, who had earned the sobriquet “ketchup colonel”, had filed the petition a year ago.
According to a reliable source, the Army had recommended Kohli’s reinstatement after a severe reprimand, taking the view that he had acted at the behest of his superiors’ but the Minis¬try rejected this.
“It is a fact that the Army recommended the remission of the sentence of dismissal awarded by General Court Martial to five years loss of seniority for promotion, five years loss of senior¬ity for purpose of pension and to be severely reprimanded,” the source said April 3.
“This would have entailed reinstatement of the ex-officer into military service. However the MoD (Ministry of Defence) has rejected this,” the source added.
Kohli was cashiered in 2004 after a court martial found him guilty of the charge against him, saying he had faked the kill¬ings to claim for a gallantry award.
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