Hubballi martyr committed suicide, says Army

A soldier from Hubballi, who was initially reported as being killed in action while engaged against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, committed suicide, the army said on Friday morning.

Manjappa Olekar, a member of the 19th Battalion of the Madras regiment, was a nine-year veteran who shot himself while he was at barracks on Tuesday morning. The Ministry of Defence has informed the family of this turn of events. The family has demanded answers as to why this happened.

The 29-year-old had got married only six months ago and had returned to his regiment. His wife is five months pregnant now.