Another death due to gunshot wound in Bathinda station; seems to be suicide: Army
Darpan News Desk IANS, 13 Apr, 2023 11:33 AM
Chandigarh, April 13 (IANS) Hours after the killing of four Army men inside the Bathinda military station in Punjab, another jawan died when his service weapon went off accidentally, police said.
The Indian Army, in a statement, on Thursday said there was no connection whatsoever between both the incidents. The second one purportedly seems to be an attempted suicide.
A soldier died of a gunshot wound at around 4.30 p.m on Wednesday. He was on sentry duty with his service weapon. The weapon and cartridge case from the same weapon was found next to the soldier, it said.
The gunshot wound was near the right temporal region. He was immediately evacuated to the Military Hospital, but succumbed to his injuries.
The jawan had returned from leave on April 11.
Meanwhile, a police station in the cantonment received a complaint about the accidental death of Army man Laghu Raj Shankar and the police have started a probe into this matter.
After the killing of the four men, the Indian Army had said a search team has located the INSAS rifle along with the magazine involved in the killing. However, it said no individual has been detained.
"The Army and police joint teams will now be undertaking forensic analysis of the weapon for ascertaining further details," it said in a bulletin on Wednesday evening.
Two unidentified persons in civil dress opened fire at Army personnel sleeping in barracks early Wednesday, killing four men, the Superintendent of Police (Investigation), Ajay Gandhi had said, adding 19 empty shells of an INSAS rifle were recovered from the spot.
Last week, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, while extending a red carpet welcome to industrialists and entrepreneurs to invest in Punjab, said the state would emerge as industrial hub of the country.
The SAD chief told the media here that the party would stick to its core principles, including the need for a true federal structure, taking all sections of society and people from all religious faiths with it. He said SAD, the oldest regional party with a 102-year-old track record, would continue to rise to serve the regional aspirations of people of Punjab.
Police have also recovered a cache of 55 pistols of .32 bore and .30 bore from their possession. The accused were apprehended from Madhya Pradesh by the Counter Intelligence unit of Punjab Police with the help of its counterparts in Madhya Pradesh.
Lingayat seer Dr Murugha Shivamurthy Sharanaru, accused of raping minor girls, was finally taken into custody by the Karnataka Police on Thursday night - six days after the FIR against him was lodged. Police sources said the accused seer will be produced before a court on Friday.
Taking umbrage at the Union Minister's new plan on how the future of Chandigarh would be decided, Badal said: "It is not in the ambit of Shekhawat to take a decision on this matter. This is a closed chapter. The UT status of Chandigarh is purely temporary pending transfer to Punjab."
Mann said in another significant decision, the state government has now decided to appoint Chief Minister Field Officers as Nodal Officers for NRIs to ensure redressal of their grievances. He said that these officers will prove to be an ideal Nodal Officer for NRIs as they will be effectively able to coordinate across departments and districts, besides having a direct communication with the Chief Minister's Office.
