JK: Army regrets Kangan incident, orders probe

Srinagar, July 6: The Army in Jammu and Kashmir today regretted a firing incident in Kangan area in which a soldier shot dead an old man and critically wounded two others before killing himself after he was caught in a ''compromising position'' with a girl yesterday.

A defence spokesman said an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

Sowar Ranjeet Singh of 24 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) was nearly lynched by residents who caught him in a ''compromising position'' with a local girl at Kangan, about 40 km from here, yesterday.

The soldier went berserk and opened indiscriminate fire on the mob, resulting in the death of 50-year-old Abdul Rehman Magray, a labourer, and serious injury to two others, including 60-year-old Abdul Razak Najar and Sajjad Ahmad.

He then shot himself dead.

From the details available so far, the spokesman said it seemed the soldier and the girl knew each other for some time.

While the two were meeting each other at Kangan, a mob surrounded the place, he added. ''It is possible while trying to escape from the mob, the soldier opened fire in which Najar sustained injuries.

The circumstances leading to the death of the soldier and Magray are still not very clear,'' the spokesman said.

The incident triggered massive protests in the area.

UNI

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