Bathinda: At least four Army jawans were shot dead during a firing incident reported at the Bathinda Military Station during the small hours of Wednesday, an Indian Army officer said. A statement has been issued by the Army said that no one else was injured in the incident and the link to the missing INSAS rifle was being probed.
Official sources said that two youths from Karnataka and two from Tamil Nadu are among the deceased soldiers. They further revealed that the deceased have been identified as driver MT Santosh M Nagra, driver MT Kamlesh, driver MT Sagar Banne and gunner Yogesh Kumar J.
PTI quoted Additional Director General of Police Surinder Pal Singh Parmar Parmar as saying that it was not a terrorist attack. He added that it was not an attack from outside. "It is a fratricidal incident. We are in touch with the Army authorities," the ADGP said.
Bathinda's Senior Superintendent of Police, Gulneet Singh Khurana reiterated that it is not a terror incident. He termed the incident as internal issue. Prima facie, it appears to be a fratricidal issue. The investigation teams from our department have gone into the military station. Forensic investigations are being carried out at the crime scene and further are underway to untangle what really happened, the police official said.
"Four army jawans of an artillery unit succumbed to gunshot injuries sustained during the firing incident at Bathinda Military Station. No other injuries to personnel or loss/damage to property reported," the statement said while reiterating that the force was coordinating with Punjab police.
"The area continues to be sealed off and joint investigations with Punjab Police are being coordinated to establish the facts of the case. All aspects including the possible case of involvement of an INSAS rifle along with 28 rounds reported missing two days back are being ascertained," the statement said adding that the families of Jawans killed in the incident are being informed about the loss of lives.
Sources said the firing was reported at around 4.35 am inside Bathinda Military Station and the Station Quick Reaction Teams were activated besides the procedural cordoning off and sealing. The sources said the search operation was underway to determine the shooters involved in the incident, an official from the Headquarters of South Western Command said.
The officials were tightlipped about the incident and were maintaining that the search operations are underway to establish who fired the shots. Officials also refused to confirm whether it was a fratricide or a terror attack involving terrorists from elsewhere. Bathinda is an important military installation in the Country. It houses headquarters of 10 Corps of the South Western Command whose headquarters is in Jaipur.
The police sources said the Army officers have reported to the local police about a weapon which went missing about a few days back during the wee hours on Wednesday. Bodies of four victims whose identity has not been made public yet remain inside the Military Station. A local police team led by SP(D) AJay Gandhi entered into the Military Station which remained out of bounds for others.
