Havildar goes berserk, shoots dead Captain, jawan, kills self
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 03:
Just four days after a jawan of the Indian Army shot dead a Lt Colonel at Srinagar, a Havildar of the 19 Assam Rifles went berserk today and shot dead a Captain and a Subedar before turning the gun on himself fatally.
The incident occurred today at about 9.40 am at B company of the Assam Rifles unit located at Nongdam Kuki village under Litan police station.
The Captain was the Commanding Officer of the post.
The deceased Captain is identified as SJR Choudhury of Hyderabad while the Subedar has been identified as Ranjit Momin.
The Havildar who killed them has been named as GG Awidesh Sharma.
According to police, the Havildar was attached to Platoon number 5 of the unit and he first killed the Captain by firing from his service AK-47 rifle and then turned the gun on the Subedar.
After killing the Captain and the Subedar, the Havildar then killed himself with the same weapon.
He received two bullet injuries on the chest.
The Havildar did not die instantly and he was rushed to Leimakhong Army hospital by a helicopter but the doctors there could not revive him and he passed away at about 6.10 pm today.
The AK-47 rifle has been impounded by the quarter guard.
The Havildar opened fire at the Captain while he was strolling in front of his quarters, clad in shorts and a T shirt.
The Captain was hit by at least 5 bullets on the right side of the chest and he died at the spot.
The Subedar was about 6/7 feet away from the Captain and he too died at the spot after the Havildar opened fire at him.
The position of the body suggested that the Subedar may have tried to take cover on seeing the Captain being shot to death by the Havildar.
The body of the Subedar was riddled with bullets.
Adding more tragedy to the incident was the report that the young Captain was to get married on December 8.The invitation cards had already been sent to friends and relatives.
Litan police have registered a case in connection with the incident today.
The bodies of the Captain and the Subedar are being presently kept at RIMS morgue.
Police recovered about 25 empty cases of AK 47 rifle from the spot of the incident.
The body of the Havildar is being kept at the Army hospital at Leimakhong.
Fratricidal killings amongst the security personnel have been on the rise in Manipur in recent times.
This year, such incident occurred at Chassad in Ukhrul where the 1st Assam Rifles is stationed.
Similarly four jawans were killed at Jiribam when one of their colleagues opened fire some time back.
A similar incident also occurred at Chandel where 4 jawans were killed in internal clashes.
In Srinagar five such incidents have occurred in the last two/three weeks.
Incidents of internal fights in '06 Three incidents of fratricidal killings amongst the security personnel have occurred till date this year.
Altogether nine personnel have been killed while five were injured.
June 12 : Four personnel including two JCOs killed in a drunken brawl that culminated in firing at 44 Assam Rifles post at Chandel.
September 23 : One Havildar and three Riflemen of the 5 Assam Rifles killed when one of their colleagues fired at them at Badamtala near Jiribam.
The attacker also killed himself.
Four others including a Captain were injured.
Oct 29 : A Rifleman of the 1st AR killed a colleague at its Chassad post, at Ukhrul.