Four Indian Army soldiers were killed in a gunfire incident at a military base in Punjab’s Bathinda in the wee hours of Wednesday, April 12th. According to news sources, unidentified gunmen opened fire at the sleeping army personnel around 4.30am at Bathinda Military Station. As a result, four soldiers of the artillery force stationed at this station were reportedly killed on the spot.
In a first information report (FIR) to the police, an army major alleged that around 4.30am two unidentified kurta-pyjama-clad gunmen attacked the sleeping soldiers at Bathinda Military Station. One of them carried an INSAS assault rifle used by the army and the other was holding an axe.
The major reportedly stated in the FIR that these two gunmen left Bathinda Military Station and fled to the nearby forest after the firing. Following this, the Punjab Police, Army Police and Punjab Quick Response Team (QRT) cordoned off the military base and began a combing search operation.
According to news sources, during the search, the Indian Army and the Punjab Police recovered an INSAS rifle which reportedly went missing from the Bathinda Military Station a few days ago. However, it is not yet clear that the gunmen attacked the military camp with the same rifle.
Army sources told the press that after a full forensic examination of the recovered INSAS rifle and its magazine count, it would be clear whether the attack was carried out with this weapon.
About nine hours after the incident, the press learned from the army and police sources in the afternoon that an army man has been detained on suspicion. However, the identity of the soldier has not yet been disclosed by the Punjab Police or the Indian Army.
The attack on Bathinda Military Station has become a major cause of concern for the security forces and the administration, who have been worried about the resurgence of the Khalistani movement across Punjab for some time now. No militant organisation claimed responsibility for the attack till this report was published.