SRINAGAR: Four Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, including an assistant commandant and a sub-inspector, were killed in firing by a colleague in a fratricide incident at a CISF camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Tuesday evening, officials said.
The incident took place at around 7.30 pm at the Sewa-III hydroelectric power project in Mashka village in Basohli, near the border with Himachal Pradesh, the officials said.
According to preliminary information, Head Constable Abhidesh Kumar allegedly opened fire from his service rifle following an argument with some of his colleagues, the officials said.
Following the firing, the accused was overpowered by his colleagues and his service weapon was seized. He was subsequently taken into custody by police, the officials said.
The four personnel sustained critical injuries in the firing and later succumbed to their injuries at a nearby NHPC hospital, they said.
The deceased were identified as Assistant Commandant Ankit Kumar Pandey, Sub-Inspector Lakshman Singh and constables Rafiq Ahmed and Sandeep Kumar.
Senior CISF and police officers rushed to the scene and conducted an assessment of the situation, while police registered a case and began an investigation.
The exact circumstances that led to the argument and subsequent firing, as well as the motive, have not yet been established, officials said.
Police and CISF personnel are jointly ascertaining the sequence of events and the nature of the argument, sources said.