Army launches manhunt as four soldiers shot dead

The army on Wednesday launched a manhunt after four soldiers were killed in a suspected fratricide attack at an officers’ mess in the Bathinda military station in Punjab on Wednesday, officials familiar with the matter said, ruling out a terror angle.

The victims, all gunners, died of multiple gunshot injuries.

No one was apprehended till the time this report was filed on Wednesday night. Army chief General Manoj Pande briefed defence minister Rajnath Singh on the incident.

Senior army officials familiar with the matter said the incident was likely a planned fratricide attack and pointed to an automatic weapon and some rounds that went missing from an army unit three days ago, indicating that the same rifle may have been used.

They added, on condition of anonymity since an investigation is still ongoing, that it is likely the person who carried out the attack may have rejoined the unit, making their task of identifying the perpetrator that much more difficult. The weapon and some of the ammunition were recovered after the attack.

The police, who are also investigating the matter, had a slightly different version. Superintendent of police (investigation) of Bathinda police Ajay Gandhi, who is leading the probe, said the crime is being probed from all angles adding that the terrorist angle is not completely ruled out at this stage.

The police also claimed to have an eyewitness who claimed there were two attackers, one with a gun and the other an axe, and that they disappeared into the surrounding forests taking advantage of the darkness.

But Gandhi clarified that “information shared by the army authorities does not hint at any attempt of a security breach or intrusion in its highly secured campus” and that it would be “premature to draw a conclusion on the involvement of any outsiders.”

On Wednesday, quick reaction teams were activated after the shooting took place in the mess at 4.35am, the army said in a statement.

The Jaipur-based South Western Command issued three statements on the shooting incident, but none described it as fratricide. The statements also did not say who may have been responsible for the incident.

Four army jawans of an artillery unit succumbed to gunshot injuries in the unfortunate incident, the South Western Command said in one of the statements.

The entire area was cordoned off, and combing operations were on till late Wednesday, the officials said.

“No other injuries to personnel or loss/damage to property have been reported. The area continues to be sealed off and joint investigations with Punjab Police are being coordinated to establish the facts of the case,” the statement added.

The Bathinda military station is the largest military base in Asia and home to the army’s HQs 10 Corps. The pivot Chetak corps is responsible for defending India’s border with Pakistan in south Punjab and north Rajasthan.

“All aspects, including the possible case of involvement of an INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifle along with 28 rounds reported missing two days back, are being ascertained,” the statement further added.

The rifle and its magazine were recovered from the base in the evening, the command said in the third statement.

“A search team has located the INSAS rifle along with the magazine. Army and police joint teams will now be undertaking forensic analysis of the weapon to ascertain further details,” the statement said.

It said that the “balance number of rounds in the weapon will only be available after forensic analysis,” indicating that some rounds may have fired.

It is reiterated that no individual has been detained or apprehended, the statement added.

The victims were identified as Gunners Sagar Banne (25), Kamalesh R (24), Yogeshkumar J (24) and Santosh M Nagaral (25). They all were from an artillery unit.

The four were killed in their rooms near the officers’ mess and the police recovered 19 empty shells of an Insas rifle from the crime spot.

“Army and police joint teams will now be undertaking forensic analysis of the weapon for ascertaining further details,” said an army spokesperson.

A first information report (FIR) was lodged at the cantonment police station against two unknown persons.

A police functionary familiar with the probe said the military station is spread over a 40km area and it was a herculean task to conduct a combing operation.

“The defense authorities used quadcopters and QRTs to scan the entire area. As per inputs from the army, no one is reported to be absent and an investigation is underway. CCTV footage are being scanned minutely for crucial leads,” added another police official requesting anonymity.

Bathinda civil surgeon Dr TS Dhillon said the bodies were handed over to the army authorities in the evening after autopsy at the Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Civil Hospital.