Four army personnel were killed in a firing incident at a military station in the Indian border state of Punjab early on Wednesday, officials said as they ruled out a “terrorist attack”.
Meanwhile, the weapon suspected to have been used in the incident was also recovered. The incident was reported around 4:35 am (1105 GMT) at the Bathinda military station in Punjab, a northern state where tensions have been high over the local resurgence of a separatist movement. According to The Hindu, Bathinda’s Senior Superintendent of Police Gulneet Khuruna told journalists that initial investigations showed the shooting was a “fratricidal incident”.
“We are in touch with the army authorities and our team has reached the spot and in-depth, a probe is being done. I want to make it clear that this is not a terrorist attack. The investigation so far reveals that the incident is related to some internal issues,” the report quoted him as saying.
The report also quoted Additional Director General of Police Surinder Pal Singh Parmar as saying: “It is not a terrorist attack, it is not an attack from outside. It is a fratricidal incident.”–Reuters
