Two civilians were shot dead and a third was injured on Friday morning in a firing incident near the gate of an army facility in Jammu and Kashmir's border town of Rajouri, leading hundreds of residents to protest the deaths and demand an impartial probe into the incident.
While locals alleged that a sentry, deployed at the gate of the Army camp, opened fire in a case of mistaken identity but the army firmly denied the allegation. An Indian Army statement on Twitter blamed the deaths on firing by "unidentified terrorists".
Reports said that two locals with bullet marks were found dead outside the gate of the army camp along the Poonch-Rajouri highway at around 6 AM.
The deceased have been identified as Kamal Kishore son of Radu Ram and Surinder Kumar son of Om Parkash both residents of Phayalana ward number 15 of Rajouri.
Protest erupts as locals demand probe
Meanwhile, massive protests rocked the area with locals demanding a probe into the incident. The protesters have blocked the highway and traffic has been halted on the highway, eyewitnesses said, adding that empty cartridges have been found outside the Army's gate.
Senior police officers said that a large number of people gathered outside the army facility where the firing incident took place and protested the deaths. They blocked the Jammu-Poonch highway and some also threw stones at the military facility.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajouri Chowdhary Mohammad Aslam said the police are investigating and declined to comment on allegations of the local residents.
Director General of Police (DIG) Poonch-Rajouri Haseeb Mughal said that FIR has been registered in this case. He assured that the probe will be conducted in a thoroughly professional manner.
In an early morning firing incident by unidentified terrorists at Rajauri near Military Hospital, there has been fatal casualty of two individuals. The Police, security forces and civil administration officials are on the site.@NorthernComd_IA
— White Knight Corps (@Whiteknight_IA) December 16, 2022
It was a terror attack: Army
Two civilians were killed and another was injured outside an Army camp in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday morning, after firing by unidentified terrorists, the Army said.
"In an early morning firing incident by unidentified terrorists at Rajauri near Military Hospital, there has been the fatal casualty of two individuals. The Police, security forces, and civil administration officials are on the site," White Knight Corps tweeted on its official Twitter handle.
