As a video showing Army officials breaking mobile phones of recruits undergoing training at Mahar Regiment Centre has gone viral recently, the Army on Friday defended it terming the act as ‘disciplinary’ as mobiles and smartphones are not permitted during training and while deployed during operations.
The video was shot by the authorities and efforts are now on identify the source of leak. The incident took place in September 2015 in the Mahar Regiment Centre, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. The video shows at least two Army jawans in uniform smashing a number of mobile phones with stones and several jawans watching the action.
Reports emanating after the video became public said the phones were destroyed to teach a lesson to jawans who allegedly speak against higher officials. However, the Army on Friday denied such allegations and said the phones were seized after several warnings to the recruits to refrain from carrying these instruments.
Clarifying that mobile and smart phones are not permitted during training, officials said here the recruits were repeatedly warned against using such instruments. Explaining the sequence of events, sources said the phones were seized during surprise checks and then destroyed as an act of discipline. It was done to send a message that the Army deals with such issues seriously, they added.
Elaborating upon the rules regarding carrying mobiles, officials said recruits are allowed to submit their phones to the platoon commander. The phone can be used during an emergency if a recruit wants to speak with his family after due permission. Moreover, several STD booths are set up in all training centres to enable the soldiers to remain in touch with near and dear ones, they said.
When deployed in counter-insurgency operations like in Jammu and Kashmir, the soldiers and officers alike are not permitted to use mobile phones as it can give away their location to the terrorists. Recently, the defence ministry also issued a directive asking all the Army personnel posted along the line of Actual Control(lAC) facing China not to use mobile phones having their servers in China. Nearly 40 such servers were listed in the directive, officials said adding the Chinese can easily track the Indian troops if they use Chinese phones.