 Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 2: Nearly nineteen years after a brutal episode of fratricide inside a CRPF camp shook the Valley, 3rd Additional Sessions Judge, Srinagar Dinesh Gupta,, sentenced CRPF sepoy Avtaar Chand to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for killing four fellow personnel and injuring another in a firing incident at the F-Coy 96 Battalion camp at Hawal Firdous Cinema in January 2006.
According to the prosecution story, the incident took place on 25 January 2006, when the accused, posted as a constable (GD) in the 96 Battalion, allegedly entered the barrack after duty hours where several colleagues were present. An exchange of words reportedly broke out between Chand and one of the jawans, Mohammad Ashraf. Prosecutors stated that Chand, agitated by the argument, picked up his service INSAS rifle and opened indiscriminate fire inside the confined barrack. The sudden burst of automatic fire caused instant death of four CRPF personnel—Mohammad Ashraf Najar, C. Sathasivan, Sourav Nandy, and B. Mandape—while one more constable sustained bullet injuries. The wounded personnel was rushed to hospital, and Chand was overpowered and disarmed soon after the firing.
The prosecution further submitted that the issued weapon, magazines, fired cartridges, and live rounds were seized and later confirmed by forensic examination to have been used in the firing. The accused was arrested the same evening and remained in judicial custody throughout the prolonged trial.
During the sentencing, the defence pleaded that Chand had already spent nearly nineteen years in custody, had no previous criminal involvement, and acted in a moment of provocation. However, Judge Dinesh Gupta rejected the request for leniency, observing that a member of a disciplined force turning his weapon on colleagues constituted a grave and unforgivable breach of trust. The court ruled that such conduct “strikes at the very foundation of discipline” and demanded a punishment proportionate to the severity of the act.
The court awarded 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under Section 304-I RPC and 10 years under Section 307 RPC, to run concurrently. A fine of Rs 2 lakh was imposed for the families of the deceased jawans and ₹30,000 for the injured survivor. The judge informed the convict of his right to appeal and directed his continued detention at Central Jail Kot Bhalwal to serve the remaining sentence. (JNF) |