Military station shooting: Bathinda Police arrests Army jawan
The Bathinda Police in Punjab have reportedly apprehended an Army jawan named Gunner Desai Mohan in connection with the military station shooting that claimed the lives of four jawans last week. This major development comes after the cops interrogated four jawans concerning the shooting incident. The police earlier registered an FIR against two unidentified men.
Why does this story matter?
Last week on Wednesday, four people were killed in a shooting inside the Bathinda military station in Punjab. On the back of this firing incident, the Punjab Police filed an FIR against two unidentified individuals, who were allegedly wearing white kurta pajamas and were seen carrying an axe and a rifle at the time of the shooting.
Know about accused Gunner Desai Mohan
"After sustained interrogation, one individual named Gunner Desai Mohan from the Artillery unit, where the incident occurred, has confessed to his involvement in stealing an INSAS rifle & killing four of his colleagues," news agency ANI quoted HQ South Western Command as saying. "Initial investigations indicate that this was apparently due to personal reasons/animosity," it further said.
Details on last week firing inside Bathinda military station
The four Army jawans were shot dead at 4:35am while they were asleep near the barracks behind the officers' mess at the military station. In an official statement, the Indian Army said, "A firing incident was reported in the early hours of the morning around 04:35 hours inside Bathinda military station. Quick Reaction Teams were activated and the area was cordoned off and sealed."
No terror angle in Bathinda military station incident, revealed official
While ruling out a potential terror angle in the case, Punjab's Additional Director General of Police SPS Parmar stated that it is not a terrorist attack or an attack from outside, but a fratricidal incident. The state police also revealed that an Insas rifle with 28 cartridges went missing almost two days before Wednesday's shooting incident.
Police official provides details on rifle used to kill jawans
"The rifle which was used to kill the jawans was stolen from near the officers' mess where the crime took place. It was found dumped in a ditch not far from the scene of crime," The Indian Express quoted a police officer as saying on Saturday. "It means someone who stays around the mess may be involved in the crime," the officer added.
Identity of victim jawans revealed
According to reports in the news outlet Business Today, the four slain Army jawans were between 24 and 25 years old. They were identified as 24-year-old Kamalesh R Kumar, 25-year-old Santosh M Nagaral, 24-year-old Yogesh Kumar J, and 25-year-old Sagar Banne. The victims were all part of the 80 Medium Regiment of the Indian Army, an artillery unit.
