A group of soldiers led by a Lieutenant who were released on bail by the Dehiattakandiya Magistrate yesterday for alleged felling of some trees in Maha Oya Wildlife Reserve, were detained in open military custody, the army said.

It said that, on the directions of the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, measures have already been taken to remove the Commanding Officer of the Army unit at Borawewa, Welikanda for failure of his responsibilities and convene a Court of Inquiry (C of I) against all those involved in the incident.

The statement also said that initial inquiries into the incident by the Military Police at Giritale confirmed that those suspects were engaged in the act for the express purpose of constructing a soldiers’ billet and a dining hall inside their camp, although they have not followed Army procedures for collection of such raw materials.

Dehiattakandiya Court released the officer and 10 soldiers, arrested by the Police on cash bail (Rs 20,000/=) and surety bails of Rs 1 lakh each, fixing the next hearing for 4 March 2014. The vehicle has been released on Rs 1 m surety bail at the same time on Thursday (30).

“If those Army personnel are found guilty in the C of I, to be convened by the Army Directorate of Legal Services, strict disciplinary action will be adopted, in keeping with provisions in the Army Act to be in line with the Commander’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy on Army wrongdoers,” the statement said.