Four jawans killed in firing by colleague

Police said Abhay Kumar resorted to indiscriminate firing at his colleagues inside a camp at Panjpora village in Bijbehara.

The killed security men were identified as junior commissioned officer (JCO) Jaipal Singh, Naik Indersen Singh, Solankar Dutta and Ram Lakhan Sharma. Another soldier received bullet injuries and he was identified as Sepoy Babu Singh.

Preliminary investigations by the police said the accused trooper had borrowed some money from his colleagues, who after the verbal duel brought the matter to the notice of their officer.

Abhay was awarded some punishment and he got furious and fired indiscriminately at his colleagues, killing four of them on the spot and injuring another.

Defence spokesman Lt Col J S Brar termed the incident as  “unfortunate.” He said soldier Havildar Abhay Kumar, for unexplained reasons, fired at his own colleagues.

According to him a ‘detailed’ high-level court of inquiry has been ordered to probe the incident and prevent the reoccurrence of such incidents in the future.

To a question whether the killing was a stress-related case, the defence spokesman said, “Counter-insurgency area is a high pressure area and we regularly carry stress management and yoga to avoid it. This incident is an aberration, being the first in the last two years.”

Lt Col Brar revealed that Army over some years has institutionalised stress management measures such as constant counseling by superiors and religious teachers, regular rest, yoga and other such means. “In the present case, it will be ensured that the truth comes out  and there will be no re-occurrence of such incidents,”he said.

Yasin Malik arrested

Meanwhile, the police arrested senior separatist leader and chairman of JKLF Mohammad Yasin Malik, at Maisuma here on Thursday afternoon.

The arrest was made during a protest demonstration in the area against the arrest of a local youth on Wednesday night following a criminal complaint filed against him by a local taxi driver.

Police said, “Malik was arrested as he and some of his associates indulged in vandalising the Maisuma police station after the arrest.”