Colleague confesses to killing 4 soldiers in Punjab’s Bathinda: Army

A colleague of the four soldiers killed in the attack at an officers’ mess at Punjab’s Bathinda military station on Wednesday last has confessed to the fratricide and stealing an INSAS rifle used for allegedly killing them due to personal animosity, the Indian Army’s South Western Command said in a statement on Monday. There was no terror angle to the killings as speculated earlier in some media reports, it added.

The statement said Desai Mohan from the Artillery Unit, where the incident occurred, confessed to his involvement to the police after sustained interrogation.

It added on April 9, Mohan allegedly stole the weapon along with a filled magazine. “He then hid the weapon. On 12 April...while... on sentry duty, he recovered the weapon from its hiding place, moved to the first floor, and killed all four personnel while they were asleep.”

Mohan later allegedly threw the weapon into the sewage pit. “The weapon and additional ammunition have been recovered from the sewage pit,” the statement said. It added Mohan earlier tried to divert the attention of investigating agencies by claiming two people in civvies and carrying an INSAS rifle and an axe were involved in the killings.

“The individual [Mohan] is currently in police custody and further details are being ascertained.”

The statement said the army has zero tolerance for such acts of indiscipline and is committed to ensuring that the guilty will get punished. “All possible assistance is being provided to [the] Punjab Police and other agencies for early conclusion of investigations.”

It cited the sensitivities and requested the media to avoid rumours and refrain from speculation.

Superintendent of police (investigation) Ajay Gandhi, who led the probe, last week said the crime was being probed from all angles. He added that the terrorist angle was not completely ruled out at that stage.

Quick reaction teams were activated after the shooting took place in the mess at 4.35am.

The Jaipur-based South Western Command last week 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.

The military station area was cordoned off, and combing operations were launched after the shooting.

Spread over a 40km area, it 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.

Gunners Sagar Banne, 25, Kamalesh R, 24, Yogeshkumar J, 24, and Santosh M Nagaral, 25, were killed in their rooms near the officers’ mess. Police recovered 19 empty shells of an Insas rifle from the crime spot.

The defense authorities used quadcopters to scan the entire area. CCTV footage was scanned minutely for crucial leads.