Setting the officers straight

Wg Cdr DP Sabharwal (Retd)

The need to curb drunken driving on the highways has been felt over the years. As a result, the Supreme Court banned “all liquor vends within 500 m of highways”. Looking at the ingenious ways, the state governments and civic bodies are resorting to circumvent the highway liquor ban. It can be said that the solution churned out by the court has turned out to be worse than the malady. The seriousness of the issue, the remedial measure taken to check and control the problem and the efficacy of it took me back to my Air Force days.

There was a road accident at an Air Force station where two pilots, riding a motorcycle during rain, hit a roadside culvert. The mishap resulted in the death of one of the pilots, while the other one was seriously injured and was subsequently declared unfit to fly. None of them was wearing a helmet. To prevent any such avoidable loss (it takes many years and funds to train a pilot) in future, the orders came from the Air Headquarters that with immediate effect, no one would ride a two-wheeler without helmet, within or outside the Air Force stations. The local Station Commander issued instructions to the effect. The order mentioned that the driver and the pillion-rider must wear the helmet and strict action would be taken against any offender. 

It is rightly said that habits die hard. It would have been the early morning when it was presumed by two youngsters that nobody would notice and hence, they dared to venture out. But it did not happen that way. The Station Commander while going in his jeep saw “the Bullet motorcycle” zipped past him in the opposite direction where the pillion rider was without a helmet. Though not able to identify the officers, it was not difficult for the boss to find out the two officers involved in this “breach of discipline”.

The Station Commander called their commanding officer and told him, “Keep the motorcycle in your garage for 15 days. During this period, the two officers will not use any vehicle, neither a two-wheeler nor a four-wheeler. They are permitted to use a bicycle. And make sure, both of them report to the squadron for organised games in the afternoon. Inform all other officers that anyone giving them lift too would be punished.” 

The squadron was more than 5 km from the mess. Within a few days, the two officers, not used to cycling, had sore limbs. After just four days, they had swollen thighs and even walking became difficult. They sought a meeting with the Station Commander, which was granted. Both the officers walked into his office almost limping and when they came out their morale was limping too. The Station Commander has refused to relent on the punishment, saying: “I have been lenient. If you can suggest any milder punishment, do let me know.”

The incident happened more than 40 years ago, in 1975, when helmets were literally unheard of in the country. The seemingly innocent punishment had such a telling effect that thereafter, no one on the Air Force station ventured to sit without helmet even on a scooter that was not running!