Defence
Here's What We Know About The Bathinda Military Station Shooting Incident That Left Four Dead
Ujjwal Shrotryia
Apr 12, 2023, 02:50 PM | Updated 03:03 PM IST
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In the early morning of 12 April, there was a shooting incident in the Bathinda Military station in Punjab. According to reports, four soldiers of the Army's artillery unit have been killed.
The Army along with the Punjab Police has cordoned off the entire area and is searching for the shooter.
Here is what we know so far of the incident.
Four soldiers were killed in a firing incident at the Bathinda military station in Punjab. The incident took place around 4.35am, early morning. The Army activated quick reaction teams following the incident and the area was cordoned off and sealed.
The Bathinda SSP, Gulneet Khurana, denied any terrorist angle in the incident and said that the incident could be of fratricide adding that it took place within the campus.
The perpetrator of the shooting incident, however, is still at large, and an active search operation is underway to apprehend the individual.
The Jaipur-based, South Western Command of the Indian Army, which is responsible for defending India’s border with Pakistan in south Punjab and north Rajasthan, issued a statement that did not mention the circumstances or details about who was responsible for the incident.
However, news agency ANI, citing sources, reported that a weapon and some rounds went missing from an army unit two days before the incident.
The statement further added 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. The families of the deceased soldiers are being informed about the loss of lives.
The area continues to be sealed off, and joint investigations with Punjab Police are being coordinated to establish the facts of the case.
The Bathinda military station is the largest military base in Asia and home to the Army’s HQs 10 Corps. The matter is under investigation, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has been briefed by the Army Chief General Manoj Pande.
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Editorial Associate at Swarajya. Writes on Indian Military and Defence.
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