Jammu, April 3
Three CRPF personnel were killed and two wounded when a constable on guard duty at the official residence of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad opened fire at his colleagues here this evening following an altercation between them.
Those killed have been identified as Sub-Inspector Mohan Lal and constables Joginder Jha and Hardev Pandey.
Constable Anand Kumar Singh, who was on duty at the main gate of the CM’s residence on Residency Road, is reported to have fired about 20 rounds from his automatic weapon killing the three on the spot.
Sources said he became furious on the issue of his annual leave. There was some altercation between him and the SI that was followed by the firing. The three were killed on the spot.
He tried to flee from there, but was overpowered by his colleagues.
This is the first incident of its kind at the CM’s residence that is guarded by the CRPF.
There was utter confusion for about an hour after the incident. Initially there were rumours in the city that some terrorists had tried to enter the CM’s residence. Later, the report about the firing by the CRPF jawan started trickling in.
A large number of media persons and Congress activists gathered outside the residence of the CM where they were stopped by security personnel by putting barricades.
Senior officers of the state police, CRPF and other central security agencies have reached the CM’s residence that has been sealed from all sides.
The DGP, Mr.Gopal Sharma, and the IGP of CRPF told media persons that a high level enquiry
has been ordered into the incident and the security arrangements at the CM’s residence were being reviewed.Mr.Azad and his wife, Ms.Shamima Dev, were inside the residence when the incident occurred.
The Chief Minister has convened an urgent meeting of the security agencies at his residence.
Sources said the constable first had a wordy duel with the SI and then shot him.Two other jawans were shot dead when they tried to intervene. The constable has been arrested and was being questioned in the CRPF camp in the CM’s residence complex.
This is the second such incident here within a month. A jawan of the army had shot his four colleagues and later killed himself near Bishnah last month.
