A woman Colonel, who was suspended and facing disciplinary action, reportedly attempted suicide by slashing her throat. Her husband claims she took this drastic step after being “systematically victimised” by senior officers of the Western Command and HQ 9 Corps. The Army, however, has denied any suicide attempt, stating she had only a superficial wound which has been treated.
On July 13, the Colonel inflicted a wound on her neck and was initially treated at a Military Hospital in Ambala before being moved to the Command Hospital in Chandimandir for psychiatric evaluation.
This incident occurred just four days after the Deputy General Officer Commanding HQs 40 Artillery Division suspended her for 90 days on July 9, pending disciplinary proceedings for several alleged lapses.
The Colonel’s husband, a former Army officer, has filed a complaint with the Ambala police alleging that his wife was targeted by the chain of command under Western Command and HQs 9 Corps, leading her to attempt suicide. He also shared a suicide note, supposedly written by the Colonel, accusing a Brigadier at HQs Western Command of mentally harassing her.
Sub-inspector Navtej Singh, in charge of the Regiment Bazaar police Chowki at Ambala Cantt Police Station, confirmed receipt of the complaint. “We twice tried to record the Colonel’s statement at Chandimandir, but the doctors said she was not fit to give a statement. Today, we recorded her statement, in which she has named some individuals,” Singh said, adding that the details of the incident are still being verified.
In an interview with The Indian Express, the Colonel’s husband claimed that his wife suffered humiliation and harassment when she was transferred from Yol in Himachal Pradesh to Ambala and was forced to relocate within five days. He alleged that ‘dirty messages’ from fake accounts were sent to her via WhatsApp and social media.
“Moreover, there was no response from the competent authorities in Western Command regarding her complaints from the beginning, which led to the suicide attempt,” he said. He accused his wife of being targeted for exposing harassment, mistreatment, and character assassination by the Station Commander at her previous posting, and named a Brigadier of the Western Command as the main instigator.
“He is still holding a key position and is instrumental in misusing his authority. My wife has been further harassed by being sent for psychiatric evaluation,” he added, noting that no Court of Inquiry had been ordered, despite it being mandatory under Army Regulations. The Western Command denied any suicide attempt, stating, “The officer had a superficial incised wound, which was treated at Military Hospital, Ambala with a single stitch. She is stable and under proper medical care.”
The suspension order signed by Brigadier Karnail Singh, Deputy GOC of 40 Artillery Division, mentions that a Court of Inquiry was convened in August 2023 to investigate an incident involving a civilian found inside Yol Station on August 8, 2023. The General Officer Commanding, 9 Corps, directed disciplinary action against the Colonel on January 9, 2024, after finding a prima facie case involving several lapses, including unauthorized entry passes and misuse of her signatures and office stamp to facilitate civilian entry into the Military Station.
The Colonel has also accused the presiding officer of the Court of Inquiry, which indicted her, of various offenses, including breaching the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. In an FIR filed against four Army officers, she has accused them of stalking, confinement, and defamation. The officers have petitioned the Himachal Pradesh High Court to quash the FIR, arguing that it is a consequence of the Court of Inquiry and disciplinary actions against her.