Bathinda: Another Jawan Dies After Firing Gunshot At Himself Accidentally, Army Says No Link To Yesterday's Incident

What did the Army say?

The Army said death of the soldier on Wednesday afternoon has no connection with the firing incident.

"A soldier died of a gunshot wound at approximately 4:30 pm on April 12 at Bathinda Military Station.The soldier was on sentry duty with his service weapon," the Army said.?

"The weapon and cartridge case from the same weapon was found next to the soldier. The gunshot wound was near the right temporal region," it said in a statement.

The Army said the soldier was immediately evacuated to the military hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.

?It said the soldier had returned from leave on April 11.

"The case purportedly seems to be of attempted suicide," the Army said.

A senior official said it could be a case of accidental firing as well.

There will be a thorough investigation into the case.

"There is no connection whatsoever with the incident that took place at 4:30 am at Bathinda Military Station," the Army said.

What happened yesterday?

Four Army jawans were killed in firing inside a military station in Bathinda in Punjab early Wednesday, with the state police registering a case against two unidentified persons.

The four personnel, in their mid 20s, were sleeping when the firing took place around 4:30 am in a barracks near the officers' mess in the artillery units

A jawan saw two unidentified men in white kurta-pyjama, their faces and heads covered, coming out of the barracks after the firing. One of them was carrying an INSAS rifle and the other an axe, the jawan said, according to the police FIR.

According to "the information we have gathered so far, it is clear that it is not a terrorist act," a senior police officer said. Initially, the police suggested that it was an incident of "fratricide". However, officials later said there was no clarity on the incident yet. It is learnt that Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the matter.

Army sources said a court of inquiry (CoI) will investigate the entire incident in addition to the ongoing probe by the state police with support from the force.

It is suspected that an INSAS rifle, which was reported missing along with 28 rounds two days ago, was used in the firing incident. The Army said on Wednesday the INSAS rifle has been found. The two suspected attackers, who were of medium height, went towards a forested area near the barracks on seeing the jawan, who later reported the matter to the police.

(With PTI Inputs)