Rogue Major Opens Fire, Explodes Grenade Inside Camp In J-Ks Rajouri; 3 Army Men Among 5 Critical

New Delhi: An officer of major rank allegedly shot and detonated grenades at his fellow army personnel, injuring five of them, including three officers, inside a camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Thursday, news agency PTI uoted officials as saying. PTI sources said that the officer attacked his co-workers without any reason during a shooting drill and then barricaded himself in the unit’s armoury and threw grenades at his seniors who tried to convince him to give up. The standoff lasted for almost eight hours before the officer was subdued in the armoury. The incident occurred at the Neeli post near Thanamandi in the district.

The army cleared a nearby village as a safety measure, they said. The army, however, said that an officer was hurt in a probable grenade mishap at a post in Rajouri. “The White Knight Corps of the army posted on X that one officer was hurt in a probable grenade mishap at a post in Rajouri sector on 05 Oct 23. Officer evacuated and stable post initial treatment. Further investigation of the incident in progress.”

The sources said that there was a firing drill going on at the camp for the last few days and the accused officer began shooting at his colleagues and juniors without any reason on Thursday. He then locked himself in the camp’s armoury and launched grenades when the commanding officer, along with his assistant and medical officer, approached the building to try to persuade him to surrender, the sources said.

They said that all the three officers were hurt when a grenade, launched by the accused, blew up near them, adding that the second-in-command of the unit was in a “critical” condition. The sources said that two more soldiers were also hurt in the random firing by the accused who was overpowered around 11 pm.

On the incident, defence PRO Lt Col Suneel Bartwal based in Jammu said in a message, “I have received calls about some firing/terrorist attack on army camp in General Area Rajouri. I would like to inform you that no terrorist attack has occurred, it is an unfortunate internal incident of the camp.”