A 28-year-old Gujjar man was killed and another injured when the Army allegedly fired at them in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Sunday.
The police have registered an FIR against jawans of the 58 Rashtriya Rifles. Jammu-based defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Devender Anand said the Army personnel had retaliated after they came under fire.
SSP, Ramban, Mohan Lal told TNIE that locals informed that at around 3.45 am, jawans fired at the duo who were out to search cattle feed at Kohli village in Gool tehsil.
While Mohammad Rafiq Gujjar died on the spot, his accomplice Shakeel Ahmad, 30, who sustained multiple bullet injuries, was rushed to a hospital.
Soon, protests broke out forcing senior police and civil officials to reach the spot and assure the locals of a probe. Later, the locals held funeral prayers and buried the body of Rafiq.
Ahmad claimed the Army men opened fire while he and Rafiq were searching for cattle feed.
Lt. Col. Anand said the jawans were out at Kohli area in the early hours for an operation after they received specific intelligence inputs. "At 3:45 am, an Army patrol noticed some suspicious activity and our men challenged the suspected individuals. However, they opened fire following which the patrol team retaliated. Details are being ascertained."
But, Lal said the Army's claim of firing on its men was a matter of investigation. "An FIR was registered against the Army unit for murder and attempt to murder," the Ramaban SSP said.
Condemning the Ramban episode, the Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation demanded a judicial inquiry. The foundation wrote to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging her to take action against the jawans. It also demanded compensation for the families of the deceased and the injured men.