Two civilians died, another injured in the incident
Team News Riveting
Jammu, December 17
Protesters rained stones on the gate of an army camp in Jammu’s Rajouri district after soldiers purportedly mistook civilians for militants and opened fire.
Two civilians working at a canteen in the camp were killed and injured another. The army blamed the militants for the deaths that flared up tension in the area.
The protesters, who included a senior BJP leader from its Scheduled Caste Morcha, questioned the army’s claim and quizzed why no anti-militancy operation was launched if militants had killed the two men outside the gate of the camp.
The victims were identified as Surinder Kumar and Kamal Kishore, residents of Phaliana village in Rajouri. Officials said the incident occurred at around 6.15 am when a group of locals was approaching the Army gate for entry for work. Eyewitnesses claimed a sentry posted at the gate opened fire at the approaching locals.
Soon after the incident, local residents took to the streets and lodged strong protest. Locals, carrying the bodies of the dead civilians, blocked the Jammu-Poonch national highway for nearly seven hours and demanded a probe into the matter and adequate compensation to the families.
Earlier in the day, the army’s Nagrota-based White Knight Corps, also called the 16 Corps, had posted a tweet blaming “unidentified terrorists” for the killings. “In an early morning firing incident by unidentified terrorists at Rajouri near Military Hospital, there has been fatal casualty of two individuals. The Police, security forces and civil administration officials are on the site,” the 16 Corps tweeted.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha on Saturday announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of those killed in a firing incident in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The incident in Rajouri is very unfortunate. Condolences to the bereaved families. The price of a life cannot be set in monetary terms but still I announce an ex-gratia relief of Rs five lakh for each affected family,” LG J&K tweeted.
