DG Praveer Ranjan Conducts On-Site Review After Kathua CISF Fratricide

Srinagar: Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Director General Praveer Ranjan on Wednesday undertook a comprehensive visit to the CISF camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, where a tragic fratricidal firing incident claimed the lives of four personnel, including an assistant commandant, just a day earlier.

Sources said that his visit focused on obtaining an immediate, first-hand understanding of the circumstances that led to the deadly confrontation and assessing the current situation within the camp.

Senior officers from both the CISF and J&K Police, including Kathua Senior Superintendent of Police Mohita Sharma, joined the DG CISF during the inspection. Together, they reviewed the security environment, interacted with personnel, and reconstructed the sequence of events that culminated in the fatal shooting, officials said.

They noted that the DG CISF sought detailed accounts of what transpired before, during, and after the incident, aiming to identify any operational or interpersonal triggers that may have contributed to the altercation.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening inside the Sewa‑III Hydroelectric Power Project at Mashka village in Basohli, near the Himachal Pradesh border. According to officials, an argument reportedly broke out among CISF personnel deployed for security duties at the project site. During the confrontation, one CISF constable allegedly opened fire on his colleagues, resulting in critical injuries to Assistant Commandant Ankit Kumar Pandey, Sub‑Inspector Lakshman Singh, Constable Rafiq Ahmed, and Constable Sandeep Kumar. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, all four succumbed to their injuries. The accused constable was overpowered at the scene and subsequently arrested.

Following his camp visit, DG Ranjan travelled to the NHPC hospital in the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh, where the bodies of the deceased personnel had been placed. He was accompanied by senior officers from both the CISF and J&K Police as part of the ongoing effort to coordinate investigative and administrative procedures. Meanwhile, a team from J&K Police also visited the NHPC Project Hospital at Khairi to document evidence and gather medical details relevant to the case.

Officials said that the police teams swiftly cordoned off the project premises after the incident, securing the area to prevent any further escalation. Investigators are now piecing together the exact chain of events, examining interpersonal dynamics, duty patterns, and any possible stressors that may have contributed to the shooting. Officials emphasised that the motive behind the altercation remains unclear, and all angles—including procedural lapses, behavioural issues, and psychological factors—are being explored.

The CISF has ordered a formal departmental inquiry, while J&K Police continue their independent investigation. Both agencies are working in close coordination to ensure a thorough and transparent probe into one of the most serious fratricidal incidents reported in J&K in recent years, officials added.