Kathua shooting: CISF Head Constable kills 4 colleagues in Jammu and Kashmir

The incident reportedly occurred around 7 pm at the Sewa Project in Mashka village, located in the Basohli area of Kathua district.

Four Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were allegedly shot dead by a Head Constable of the force after a verbal altercation at the Sewa-II Hydroelectric Project in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Tuesday evening, officials told news agency ANI.

The incident reportedly occurred around 7 pm at the Sewa Project in Mashka village, located in the Basohli area of Kathua district.

Citing an initial report received from the incident site, the CISF, in a statement, said the accused 2009-batch Head Constable opened fire at his colleagues following an altercation that broke out among them over an issue that is yet to be known.

Who are the deceased?

The deceased CISF personnel have been identified as Assistant Commandant Ankit Kumar Pandey, Constable Rafiq Ahmed, Constable Sandeep Kumar and Sub-Inspector Lakshman Singh.

As per the CISF, the injured personnel were initially taken to NHPC Hospital, on the Himachal Pradesh side, where all four later succumbed to their injuries.

The accused Head Constable has been handed over to the local police for further investigation, officials said.

The force further said that “the circumstances that led to the altercation and subsequent firing remain under investigation.”

Further details, including the sequence of events and weapon used, are awaited.

Officials further said that the CISF is also setting up an internal inquiry to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident.

Search operations at nearly a dozen places in J-K's Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua

Meanwhile, search operations were launched earlier in the day at a dozen locations across the border districts of Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir following reports of suspicious movements, according to PTI.

The operations were conducted jointly by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) in the remote and densely forested areas of the hilly districts.

The PTI report added that the operations were underway at Peer Khana, Potha Narota and Andh villages in Kalakote, and Thanda Pani and Kansar in the Sunderbani areas of Rajouri; Panjwari, Kathera and adjoining areas in Kathua; and Upper Kasbalari, Theratopa, Nagal Gali, Kalaban and Patnateer in the Mendhar sector of Poonch.

No contact had been established with the suspected persons at any of the locations at the time. However, the forces maintained heightened vigilance and continued coordinated operations to track down any suspected individuals and rule out the presence of terrorists or anti-national elements.