Youth shot at, Rana creates uproar

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 17: A man allegedly trying to sneak into the Nagrota Army camp was shot and injured before being nabbed late last night. The issue echoed in the Legislative Assembly during Question Hour where Nagrota MLA and National Conference leader Devender Singh Rana said such kind of incidents were earlier taking place in the Kashmir valley but now were being reported from Nagrota.
“During last night, an unidentified man was found moving suspiciously near the fence of the Nagrota Army camp along the banks of river Tawi,” a Defence spokesman said.
He said the alert sentry challenged the person as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) but the man did not respond.
The man, instead, crossed the boundary fence and started running towards the camp, the spokesman said.
On not responding to the repeated challenges, the sentry opened fire, thereby injuring the individual, he said.
Subsequently, a Quick Reaction Team (QRT) team approached the individual, administered first aid and shifted him to the nearest military hospital, he said.
Police has been informed and FIR lodged.
It is pertinent to mention here that the area where the individual was found lurking is far away from any road and habitation, the spokesman said.
“Investigation is being carried out to identify and ascertain the antecedents of the individual,” he said.
While Army didn’t name the injured man, Devender Singh Rana in the Assembly said the injured could be one Hoshiar Singh, who had gone to bushes for easing himself and was shot at last night.
In the same Nagrota area, an Army unit was attacked by terrorists about one-and-a-half months back in which two officers and five jawans were killed.
Rana raised the issue after which Speaker Kavinder Gupta directed the Government to make a statement. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri said the statement would be made in the House.
In his statement, Veeri said: “a man came from the Tawi side and the sentry on duty shot him. The person got gun shot in his neck and was shifted to MI room Nagrota after first aid. The patient was (later) shifted to Army hospital Satwari”.
He said his identity could not be ascertained.
“The SHO is on the job. An FIR has been registered at Police Station Nagrota and the matter is under investigation,” the Minister said.
Rana said that the Government should take up the issue with the Army authorities so that innocents are not harmed.
“The Minister should take up the issue with the Army as such incidents cause a dent in the peace of our area. It’s a very serious matter and I would request the Minister to direct the DGP and Home Secretary to take up the issue with the GOC 16 corps,” Rana said.

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