Four Army personnel ( jawans) were killed in a firing incident inside Punjab’s Bathinda Military Station in the wee hours of April 12, according to Indian Army. The military station, about 280 km (175 miles) northwest of New Delhi, houses mostly families of soldiers and is a residential army base.
Bathinda’s Senior Superintendent of Police Gulneet Khuruna told journalists that according to an initial investigation, it appears to be a fratricidal incident.
The firing incident was reported in the early hours of Wednesday morning around 04:35 a.m. inside Bathinda Military Station, after which Station Quick Reaction Teams were activated and the area was cordoned off and sealed.
The Indian Army has released a statement on the firing incident at Bathinda Military Station. “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 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,” Indian army said.
According to the latest statement released by the South Western Command of the Indian Army, “It has been ascertained that in the unfortunate incident, four army jawans of an artillery unit succumbed to gunshot injuries sustained during the incident. No other injuries to personnel or loss-damage to property have been reported.”
The statement said that “all aspects including the possible case of involvement of an INSAS rifle along with 28 rounds reported missing two days back are being ascertained.”