Sukhmeet Bhasin & Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

Bathinda/New Delhi, April 18

Arrested Army jawan Gunner Desai Mohan, during his interrogation by the Punjab Police, had claimed that he shot dead four of his colleagues at the Bathinda military station on April 12 to avenge alleged sodomy.

Edit: Another fratricidal act

The Bathinda Cantonment police, meanwhile, have added Section 380, IPC, to the FIR for stealing an INSAS automatic rifle that was allegedly used for the killings. The previous sections were IPC 302 (murder) and 25 of the Arms Act.

In New Delhi, Army authorities said the Gunner’s medical examination to ascertain “sexual assault” and the forensic test of the rifle to check the fingerprints were being handled by the Punjab Police.

Following his “confession”, the police arrested Desai yesterday and he was produced in court, which remanded him in police custody till April 20. The matter would be tried in a civilian court, sources said. The aspects of “sodomy” and rifle theft are likely to reflect in the chargesheet.

The Army’s court of inquiry (CoI) that was ordered earlier too shall continue. The CoI may apportion blame on officers who should have been in the know if the accused was facing any physical abuse and if he had shared his ordeal, was any action taken. Though Desai has “admitted to” stealing the rifle, the CoI will also seek to probe dereliction of duty at the armoury.

The rifle and 28 rounds were stolen on April 9. After allegedly committing the crime on April 12, the accused wrapped the rifle in a cloth and plastic pouch and hid it in a sewer pit. The four jawans were killed at 4.30 am in barrack rooms near the Officers Mess. After five days (on April 17), the Bathinda police and the Army, at a joint press conference, announced the breakthrough and Desai’s arrest.

The delay behind cracking the case was mainly due to two reasons. The Army was working on Desai’s statement who had claimed he was the sole eyewitness and saw two men fleeing after the killings. The Bathinda police were preoccupied with the Baisakshi fair at Talwandi Sabo, which concluded on April 15.

Sec 380 added

Section 380 has been added to the FIR for stealing the INSAS automatic rifle that was allegedly used for the killings