Battling with cases of face-offs between jawans and officers on the issue of granting leave to attend to urgent domestic problems, an Army study says denial of leave may also tempt its personnel to have extra-marital affairs and in some cases misbehaviour and flirting.
In its study ‘roadmap to promote dignity of women and care for girl child in Army,’ the Jodhpur-based 12 ‘Konark’ Corps has recommended that “grant of leave at regular intervals coupled with adequate training and self-discipline” can help in managing the “negative vibes” in them.
Highlighting the tough life of soldiers in remote areas of the country and separated from their families for long periods, the study says "many peculiarities of military life is to remain separated from wife... Delays in going home or denial of leave may tempt a soldier to get into
extra-marital affair. An extreme case may also be flirting or misbehaving."
While asking the commanding officers to pay attention to this fact, the study recommended that exemplary punishment be meted out to army personnel indulging in such acts of extra-marital relations or misbehaviour with women and girl child.
The Commanding
Officers of the units should ensure that any incident occurring and affecting women or girl child should be reported and action should be taken against offenders and no leniency should be shown towards such people, it said.
The 12 Corps had commissioned the study in March this year under the Ahmedabad-based 11 Infantry Division and the report identified several types of violence that women may face at work place or at home including sexual violence, girl child labour and dowry-related violence.
Incidentally, extra-marital affair in the armed forces is a punishable offence and punishment is more severe if the officer is found indulging in such relations with fellow officer's wife.
In the armed forces parlance it is termed as stealing the affection of brother officer's wife.