A soldier on Thursday shot dead five of his colleagues before turning the barrel of his service rifle on himself inside an Army formation at Manasbal-Safapora in Ganderbal district of Kashmir. The incident — the first case of fratricide in embattled Jammu & Kashmir in the year 2014 — took place in the dead of night around two o’clock when the sentry Sepoy Ranvir Singh went berserk inside the Rashtriya Rifles camp. The Army ordered an enquiry headed by a Colonel rank officer.
Fratricidal incidents are common in the Army and paramilitary troops deployed in Jammu & Kashmir despite a slew of measures being taken to reduce stress levels among the soldiers. Soldiers mostly target their officers or colleagues on issues related to grant of leave or posting on sentry duty during the night.
Sources said that the incident took place inside Manasbal Garrison, a unit of 13-RR in north-east Srinagar when Singh, originally from 4-Kumaon Regiment, went inside a barrack and opened indiscriminate fire on his sleeping colleagues. Singh was on sentry duty and had reportedly quarreled with his colleagues a few hours before the incident. After shooting his colleagues, he reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself.
Sources said five soldiers died on the spot while another was wounded. The injured soldier was shifted to 192 Base Hospital in Srinagar where his condition is stable. Sources said that the shooting created panic inside the camp as most soldiers mistook it as an attack by militants. The slain soldiers have been identified as Amit Kumar of 12-Kumaon, lance Naik Tabruq Ansari and Rifleman Rajput Joni of 278 Field Regiment, Sepoy Surinder Singh of 2-Kumaon and Rifleman MR Ajinath of 36-Medical Regiment.
Defence spokesman in Srinagar lt Col Nitin Joshi said, “All the soldiers belonged to 13-RR, which to its credit has 125 awards including one Ashoka Chakra and two Kirti Chakaras. The unit has an excellent counter-terrorism record as it has killed and apprehended a large number of terrorists which includes a HM terrorist, Talib lalli alias Wasim in September 2013, who was the District Commander of Bandipora.”
He said that the exact cause that triggered the incident was not known. “A high-level enquiry to investigate the circumstances under which the unfortunate incident took place has been ordered. Police have been informed and an FIR is being lodged,” Joshi added. Top Army and police officers went to the camp to take stock of the situation.
This is the first fratricidal incident in Kashmir in 2014. Scores of such incidents have taken place in the embattled State, especially in Kashmir valley, since the armed conflict began in early 1990s. Experts say that the soldiers live under tremendous stress in inhospitable conditions. The Army has devised several methods to reduce stress levels including rationalising grant of leave, improving senior-sub-ordinate relationships, psycho-analysis of soldiers and reducing duty periods in inhospitable conditions.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed grief over the incident at Manasbal Army Camp and described it most unfortunate. He conveyed his sympathy to the Army and bereaved families.