Chandigarh: Even as the Army and the police investigators seem to be lacking any clarity over the April 12 attackers and who killed the four soldiers inside the Bathinda military station, the latter has asked the Army authorities to make available the personnel concerned with the incident, including the eyewitness, to record their statements.
It may be recalled that the police have already raised doubts about the version of the sole eyewitness Gunner Desai Mohan and it is learnt that besides him, the police have also decided to quiz another soldier Gunner, Naga Suresh.
Police sends notice to Army authorities
Meanwhile, the police have sent notice to the Army authorities to make available about 10 personnel so that their statements could be recorded under Section 160 of the CrPC.
It may be recalled that four soldiers from an Artillery regiment – Gunner Sagar Banne, Gunner Kamalesh R, Gunner Yogesh Kumar J and Guner Santosh M Nagral – were killed in the wee hours on April 12 while they were asleep in their barrack.
According to sources, the investigation into the dastardly crime was so far being done by the Army Intelligence teams only, and the police had only registered an FIR in the case, hence this approach to Army to make the concerned personnel available to police investigators.
Doubts after the post-mortem of the four slain jawans
It may be recalled that the police had Thursday raised doubts after the post-mortem of the four slain jawans, in the eye-witness’ account on the basis of which, Major Ashutosh Shukla had lodged the first information report (FIR).
As per the FIR, Desai Mohan had told Maj Shukla that he had spotted two masked men in ``kurta pyjama’’ carrying an Insas (Indian small arms system – a light machine gun) rifle and an axe, after the firing incident. Mohan had also told Maj Shukla that the two had melted in the darkness into the forests of the army station.
Subsequently, the police pointed out that the eye-witness’ version raised suspicion as no sharp-edged weapon (axe) injuries were found in the soldiers’ bodies in the post mortem and, also, except for the eye-witness, no other person on duty in the entire area had spotted the movement of two men in civvies.
Moreover, sources held that it appeared to be a targeted killing as there would have been an indiscriminate firing in case of a terror attack.
As for another Gunner - Gunner Naga Suresh – it was said that he lives in the room below the guards’ barracks and in the rooms above, the four gunners, who were killed.
The FIR also said that on inspection bullet wounds on their bodies and a lot of empty cartridges of Insas rifle were seen next to their bodies and that the cartridges were from Insas rifle which was reported to be missing on April 9.
