Sentries at the entrance of the Bathinda military station. (Photo via Twitter)
Bathinda/New Delhi: Five Indian Army soldiers were killed in two separate firing incidents within 12 hours of each other at the Bathinda military station in Punjab, on Wednesday. The first incident happened in the wee hours of the day, in which four soldiers were shot dead. The second incident was apparently due to a self-inflicted gunshot.
At around 4.30am, four soldiers were found to have been shot dead in the military station. The Bhatinda Police initially said the incident looked like an “internal matter”, suggesting the killings could have been a result of fratricide while virtually ruling out a terror attack.
On Wednesday, the Punjab Police’s additional director general, SPS Parmar, told PTI, “It is not a terrorist attack, it is not an attack from outside. It is a ‘fratricidal incident’.” On the same day, Anmol Gagan Maan, a minister in the Punjab government, told reporters that the firing was triggered by an “internal fight”.
Ajay Gandhi, the superintendent of Bathinda Police (investigation department) and the officer heading the joint probe into the incident with the Army, told reporters that a police complaint (FIR) has been filed based on a statement of an Army officer. According to a Times of India report, in his statement, Major Ashutosh Shukla, based on a soldier named Desai Mohan’s eyewitness account, told the police that two well-built men of medium height, wearing kurta-pyjamas, and whose faces were covered with a cloth escaping towards a forested area nearby. One of the two was carrying an Insas assault rifle while the other was carrying an axe.
In his complaint, Major Shukla further stated that at the barracks, he saw the bodies of two soldiers in one room and two more bodies in the adjacent room. All four of them had gunshot wounds. He also said that several Insas rifle cartridges were found scattered in the rooms where the soldiers were killed, apparently in their sleep.
Investigators probing the incident suspect an Insas rifle along with some Insas ammunition that went missing two days ago to be the weapon used in the crime. Later in the day, the Army released a statement that the weapon and the magazine have been recovered. It further said they would be sent for forensic analysis along with the ammunition found in the slain soldiers’ rooms.
The four slain soldiers have been identified as Gunner Sagar Banne, Gunner Kamalesh R, Gunner Yogeshkumar J and Gunner Santosh M Nagral. All of them were in their mid-20s and belonged to a unit of the Army’s Regiment of Artillery. Of them, two belonged to Karnataka while two were natives of Tamil Nadu.
Soldier dies by self-inflicted gunshot wound
Just as the Bathinda military station and locals were coming to terms with the shocking incident, another soldier in the same military station died within 12 hours. At around 4.30pm, a soldier was found grievously injured of a gunshot wound behind one of his ears. He was immediately evacuated to a hospital, where he succumbed to the injury.
The service weapon apparently used in this case was found lying near his body.
There have been conflicting reports on what happened resulting in his death. Some said he took his own life while others said the gun went off accidentally.
The Army, in a statement, said the gun went off accidentally causing the soldier’s death, and the incident was not related to the killings of four soldiers earlier in the morning. He belonged to a different unit than that of the four soldiers killed earlier, and was on guard duty when the incident happened.
The deceased soldier has been identified as Laghu Raj Shankar.
Social media users express dismay over info control
Several Twitter users, including military veterans, have expressed their dismay over the authorities’ strict control on the information outflow on the circumstances that led to the killings of the soldiers in the Bathinda military station. Many took to social media to express their views on this.
Sushant Singh, a veteran Army officer and well-known defence and strategic affairs journalist, tweeted: “Five soldiers are dead in Bathinda military station. What we know so far is tightly controlled information which is sketchy and throws no light on the tragic event,” adding, “Sunlight remains the best disinfectant, especially in closed and sealed areas.”
Five soldiers are dead in Bhatinda military station. What we know so far is tightly controlled information which is sketchy and throws no light on the tragic event. A rifle going missing with rounds is a huge thing in any unit in a peace station. That is not a usual occurrence.
— Sushant Singh (@SushantSin) April 13, 2023
There is no operational secrecy here, as could be cited on the so-called surgical strikes or in the accidental Brahmos firing. Even then, such little idea by reading newsreports of what happened there.
— Sushant Singh (@SushantSin) April 13, 2023
Sunlight remains the best disinfectant, especially in closed and sealed areas
Quoting Singh’s tweet, veteran Brigadier RJS Dhillon expressed his fear that the lack of information would fuel speculation. He tweeted: “The corps HQ shouldn’t have delayed (information flow) for so long. In a few hours the dots would have got connected, so why delay and fuel speculation?”
The Corps HQ shouldn't have delayed ,for so https://t.co/GWe5fr3j1e a few hours the dots would have got connected,so why delay and fuel speculation? https://t.co/wp1akNA56Y
— rupinder dhillon (@ParaRjs) April 13, 2023
Journalist Aditya Menon too lamented the lack of information on the soldiers’ killings.
Besides the 4 casualties and that it wasn't a 'terror attack' but a 'fratricidal killing' we still don't know much about what happened in the Bathinda shooting. Over 12 hours since the incident, no trace of the shooters as yet or even info on who they are
— Aditya Menon (@AdityaMenon22) April 12, 2023
Others expressed disbelief over what happened in the Bathinda military station, like the user below:
In a closed Mil Stn, couple of unknown(?) persons enter, steal rifle and magazine with live rds, hide for 2 days, come out in wee hrs, enter a unit unchallenged, kill 5 soldiers, drop weapon & vanish in thin air.
— Gagandeep Singh (@Gagandeep4821) April 13, 2023
If true, Stn Cdr should be sacked.
Whom are they fooling?@rwac48
Already, several anti-India elements have started sharing fake news and propaganda content on social media regarding the killings with an agenda to drive a wedge between communities and demoralize the Indian military. Many of those posts have been reported, but action from the social media platforms and authorities, at first glance, appears to be slow.
Army chief briefs Rajnath
Meanwhile, the Army chief, General Manoj Pande, briefed the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, on the issue. A high-level meeting was called, in which the national security advisor, Ajit Doval, and senior home ministry and Army officials also attended.
An intense operation has been launched to identify and apprehend the killer(s) of the four soldiers.
About Bathinda military station
The Bathinda military is one of the largest and most important garrisons of the Indian Army. It is the headquarters of the X Corps of the Army, also known as the Chetak Corps. It comes under the command of the Army’s Jaipur-based South Western Command.
