Bathinda Military Station Firing: Army Finds Missing Insas Rifle, Sends For Forensic Analysis

Bathinda Military Station Firing: Two days ago, 28 cartridges were reported missing along with the INSAS rifle that was located on Wednesday evening by a search team of the Indian Army.

Representative image of an Insas rifle, soldiers (bottom right) wait outside the Bathinda military station (bottom left) that was sealed off after the incident.

Source : PTI, Getty Images

The Indian Small Arms System (Insas) rifle that was reported two days before the Bathinda military station firing on Wednesday has been located along with the magazine. " A joint team of the army and Punjab Police will now be undertaking forensic analysis of the weapon for ascertaining further details. The balance number of rounds in the weapon will only be available after forensic analysis," the Indian Army said in a statement.

A firing incident on Wednesday morning at the Bathinda military station in Punjab resulted in the death of four Indian Army soldiers who belonged to an artillery unit. The state police confirmed the incident was a case of ‘fratricide’ and not related to terrorism. Army officials reported that the incident occurred at approximately 4.30 am and that quick reaction teams were immediately dispatched to the scene, where the area was secured.

There has been no arrest or detention so far in the case. As per the FIR, the four jawans — Sagar, Kamlesh, Santosh and Yogesh —were asleep in their room after duty when two masked men in white kurta pyjama attacked them with rifles and sharp-edged weapons. The incident occurred at the 80 Medium Regiment artillery officers' mess. The families of jawans killed in the incident have been informed about the tragedy.

Two days ago, 28 cartridges were reported missing along with the Insas rifle that was located on Wednesday evening by a search team of the Indian Army. The joint team of the army and the police is still hunting for the perpetrators of the crime. The team is also going through CCTV footage of the area.

The Bathinda military station is the largest military base in Asia and home to the Indian Army’s headquarters 10 Corps. The pivot 'Chetak' corps is responsible for defending India’s border with Pakistan in south Punjab and north Rajasthan.