Another jawan awarded death penalty for killing superior

Jammu, May 25 (UNI) One more Army Jawan has been sentenced to death by a summary general court martial for killing his superior while on duty in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, a Defence Ministry spokesman today said.

''Sepoy Satyam Kumar of the Northern Command's Signal Regiment was found guilty of murdering his superior Havildar Padamrajan (Non-Commissioned Officer) while on duty at Rehmbal, near Udhampur,'' spokesman Lt Col S D Goswami told UNI.

Following a tiff with the Havildar, the Jawan fired at least 18 rounds from his service rifle INSAS on October 28 last year, killing him on the spot, while another Sepoy Balwant Singh was wounded in the firing, he said.

After a 15-day trial in Udhampur, the court martial awarded death penalty which had also been confirmed by the Central Government on May 18, he added.

This was the second death sentence to a soldier for killing his colleague in less than three months.

On February 28, Sepoy S C Behra was awarded death penalty for killing Lt Col Saket Saxena of 28 Rashtriya Rifles on October 31, 2006 while on duty here in Jammu and Kashmir.

UNI