New Delhi: More than a decade after he went missing and was declared a deserted, the Indian Army has initiated action to terminate the service of one of its elite Special Forces (SF) officers.
This move by the Army has sparked off speculation on social media on whether the officer is now part of a clandestine unit under a new identity, what with Dhurandhar captivating people’s minds.
Major Sharyf Bhonsle’s case is indeed strange. Originally from Pune, he passed through the National Defence Academy (NDA) and then volunteered for the Para SF. He cleared the rigorous training and joined the 2 Para SF, based on Bengaluru, as reported by NDTV.
In 2014, he was serving as an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the then Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, Lt Gen Nirbhay Singh (Retd), himself a former Para SF officer. Major Bhonsle sought and was granted annual leave. He went incommunicado from August 15 that year.
It later came to be known that Maj Bhonsle travelled to Spain to participate in an international para-jumping event. He is also known to have travelled to Norway from there. However, the officer did not take clearance from Military Intelligence (MI) for the foreign trip or for participating in the event, as he was supposed to do.
The Army examined multiple angles, including the possibility of illegal immigration or deliberate desertion, but the officer remained untraceable.
After more than ten years of unauthorised absence, the Army has now moved to dismiss Major Bhonsle under provisions of the Army Act, 1950. Officials said the action is being taken due to serious misconduct and prolonged desertion.
According to reports, this case is considered one of the longest unresolved absence cases involving a serving Army officer in recent years.
