SRINAGAR – A paramilitary trooper in Indian-occupied Kashmir shot deadthree of his comrades early on Thursday, officials said, as fresh violenceraged in the restive territory where 40 troops were killed in a bombinglast month.
Separately, an Indian soldier was killed in the latest exchange of firewith Pakistani forces across the de-facto Line of Control (LoC) bordersince last month’s stand-off.
Local police said the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper openedfire on his colleagues with his service rifle at a camp in Udhampur, some200 kilometres (125 miles) south of the main city Srinagar.ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER AD
“He shot himself too and is in a critical condition at a hospital,” Jammupolice official MK Sinha told *AFP*, saying the man “may have been underthe influence of drugs”.
According to rights group Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS),20 Indian armed forces personnel killed themselves in 2018, the most in adecade. Since 2004 there have been 80 incidents of “fratricide” and 323suicides, it says.
Experts say that the factors include stress, long duty hours, denial ofleave and domestic issues, prompting authorities to initiate de-stressinginitiatives for soldiers such as yoga.
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Separately on Thursday morning, another Indian soldier was killed when thetwo nations again exchanged fire across the LoC near the southern area ofSundarbani, Indian army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand told*AFP*.
On February 14, a suicide bombing had killed 40 CRPF troopers. India andPakistan then carried out air strikes, with the former downing two Indianaircraft and capturing an Indian pilot, which alarmed the internationalcommunity.
Tensions have since eased but cross-LoC fire has continued, as have gunbattles between Kashmiri fighters and Indian security forces.
Two such clashes raged separately in the northern Kashmir valley onThursday. Two police officers were wounded when fighters lobbed a grenadewithin a cordoned area amid an exchange of fire. -APP/AFP