Four people were killed and 44 others, including security personnel, injured in stone-pelting and resultant firing today when a mob attacked a BSF camp in Ramban district over alleged high-handedness by a BSF team.
BSF said its personnel opened fire in self-defence with "maximum restraint" when a mob indulged in firing and tried to storm their storehouse of arms and ammunition.
Inspector General of BSF Jammu Frontier Rajeev Krishna told reporters that a picket of troops of 76 Battalion of BSF posted on Ramban district intercepted one person moving in suspicious circumstances at a check-point at Dursoo Nallah Bridge area between 9.45 PM to 10 PM last night.
As he was questioned about his movement, he refused to give details about his presence there. The BSF team left him and informed the police, the IG said.
The IG said that at around 6.30 AM today as the police were investigating the matter, a mob of 700-800 people attacked the BSF post with stones injuring one constable, Krishna said.
He said there was also firing from the mob in which one BSF jawan sustained gun-shot wounds and the protesters stormed the camp, pelted stones and tried to force their way into the arms and ammunition store.
"Keeping in view the threat to the arms and ammunitions, steps were taken with maximum restraint by the security forces in which there were some casualities", the IG of BSF said adding four persons were killed.
Asked wheather the casualties were in BSF or police firing, the IG said "BSF and police officials and officers were on the spot. It is difficult to say in whose firing the casualities were caused".
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