In what could be considered as one of the harshest punishments in the Indian Military Academy (IMA), about 16 under-training gentlemen cadets (GCs) of the Spring 2016 batch have been asked to repeat the six-month course for ragging junior cadets.
According to a report in Times of India,a senior official said, “The students will pass out in December 2016 instead of June as they are accused of “violating the academy’s standing orders and breaking discipline”.
A senior student told TOI that as per academy traditions, every year, juniors study under the mentorship of their seniors during the initial months and the mentors are allowed to give out punishments. But this year some juniors complained.
He added, “The academy should have involved army lawyers to probe the matter because many innocents, too, have been included”.
The cadets are accused of beating their juniors and behaving inappropriately with them by clicking their objectionable photographs.
The punishment was awarded to send across a strong message among the students that such improper conduct would not be accepted. Subsequently, it has created a tense situation in the academy.