The curious case of the missing rifle

 Sometime in the late 90s we were deployed on the LC in the Poonch sector. I was doing the Adjt of the unit and my Commanding Officer was known for his short fuse. A very decent person, he used to be very cool and calm in most situations but, when the occasion demanded, he could be very innovative with his MCs and BCs.

Anyway, so, one fine evening when there was a lull between our exchanges with the Porkies a senior Company Commander called me up and literally accused me of sending a boy to his company( which was about 2 hours from my location) without a weapon. Now, moving without a weapon at that place and during those times was sacrilege. I mean, just not done. 

So, called up the SA (Subedar Adjt) a 6 and a half feet tall gentleman(Jat) who actually could (and did ) crush  hands if anyone ever shook hands with him (one of our Brigade Commanders had to go to the Hospital afterwards). Anyway he assured me that the boy in question had left our location with his weapon. 

Some back and forth took place between self and the aforementioned Company Commander and we established that the boy had left my location with his weapon but had reached there without one.

Now Hamid Ansari or Nasiruddin Shah cannot hold a match to the Darr ka Mahaul that was decended upon us when we realized that a weapon was missing. The next logical question was who would bell 🔔  the Tiger?

Naturally the onus of responsibility fell upon my 6 year old(in fauj) ass. In the meantime, search parties were already deployed. 

Meanwhile the Subedar Major got to know of this Kaand and gave a call to me asking if I'd reported this issue to the Tiger. That was when we decided not to inform HIM. So, again gave a call to the Company Commander and the SM sahab to become unavailable despite it being their reporting time.

Anyway, the Tiger kept trying to get a hold of both the Company Commander and the SM for his report and a good 2 hours later, we found the weapon.

The boy had left it where he'd dismounted from the vehicle and walked for almost 1 hour without realizing it.

It was then that we informed the Tiger. And believe me atleast I've never heard more innovative use of MC and BC and everything in between.

It was just an incident that happened. But, I realised it's importance when the SM had come to my Company on his farewell visit and he mentioned it in his address during his barakhana. 

That was when I realised that it was just the shared trust amongst all of us, including the Tiger that we'd taken this kind of Panga and gotten away with it without so much as a rap on the knuckles (officially atleast, although otherwise we'd all got more than a knee you know where)😂😂😂



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