Faridkot police have named an Army jawan of an armoured corps regiment posted in Nabha in connection with firing on Army jawans of an Artillery regiment on a field exercise in Faridkot on the intervening night of April 1 and 2, it is learnt.
Police named Nirvair Singh of 77 Armoured Regiment, a resident of Toot village in Ferozepur district, in the case following an investigation.
When contacted, senior police officers in Faridkot declined to comment on the matter, citing the ongoing investigation into the case.
However, documents accessed by The Indian Express show the Army jawan was named in the case on April 8.
According to an FIR lodged with Faridkot police by Colonel Abhishek Urdhwareshe, Commanding Officer of 193 Medium Regiment, the incident happened with troops of his regiment at around 12.30 am on April 2.
“A night navigation exercise was conducted for the units of Faridkot Military Station in the general area of Golewala, Beguwala and Rajuwala. A checkpoint was established at Malooka Patti Khet Wali Mandi to monitor the teams. A team comprising three Army personnel was detailed as Flying Squad to carry out surprise checks and ensure the safety and security of participating teams Flying Squad,” the FIR says.
“The troops approached a suspicious vehicle in a Scorpio vehicle registration to investigate. The suspicious vehicle (White Hyundai 120), upon being approached, suddenly sped away towards Kaccha Track Beguwala road. The Flying Squad, out of concern for troops undergoing training in the area, followed the vehicle on Kachcha Track Beguwala road.
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“While chasing the unidentified vehicle, the troops suddenly saw one unidentified person standing beside Hyundai 120, aiming a pistol towards them. Before they could react, the person started firing. They somehow managed to reverse the vehicle but that person continued to approach them with the pistol in his hand. He again fired two rounds. Thereafter, the individual held Naik (Technical Assistant) Gurjeet Singh at gunpoint and told him to hand over the car keys, which Naik Gurjeet Singh complied with. After that, he told both personnel to leave the car and move away,” the FIR says.
“While the Army jawans were moving to a safe location, the unidentified person fired two more rounds at them. After that, he sat in his Hyundai 120 and drove away towards the village Beguwala,” the FIR adds.
The Colonel stated in his complaint that “the incident is a grave risk to law and order situation while potentially endangering the lives of security personnel”.
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