Army jawan kills wife, 2 children; commits suicide

Patiala, Oct 7 (UNI) An army sepoy allegedly shot dead his wife and two children before committing suicide at his residence in Rajpura town of this district last night.

The third child -- the youngest of the triad -- is fighting for his life at a hospital in the town.

Police today said sepoy Kirpal Singh (45), who was on leave, shot dead his wife Paramjit Kaur (40), his 17-year old daughter Harpreet Kaur and 13-year-old son Gurpreet Singh with his licenced gun.

Later, he fired at his youngest son, Onkar Singh, injuring him seriously.

The sepoy then shot himself in the head. The injured child was taken to hospital by neighbours who had to break open the door of the house after hearing sound of the shots.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the sepoy was suffering from depression. Meanwhile, a detailed investigation has been launched by police and the local army authorities informed of the incident.

UNI