KATHUA, September 30, 2026 – In a shocking incident of fratricide, four Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel—including an Assistant Commandant and a Sub-Inspector—were killed after a Head Constable opened indiscriminate fire with his service AK-47 rifle at a camp near the Sewa-II Hydroelectric Project in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district. The shooting took place around 6:40 PM on Tuesday in the remote Mashka village in Basohli, situated near the Jammu & Kashmir-Himachal Pradesh border. The accused jawan, identified as Head Constable Avdesh Kumar Singh, was subsequently overpowered and taken into custody by local authorities.
According to preliminary police investigations, the violent escalation stemmed from an altercation between the accused and his superiors during a shift change over bringing his child to the high-security project site. Singh and his wife both serve in the CISF and were assigned different operational shifts; when one parent reported for duty, they routinely handed over their toddler to the spouse returning from their shift. Following departmental objections and a complaint lodged with Company Commander Assistant Commandant Ankit Kumar Pandey regarding the child’s presence at the installation, an argument ensued. In a fit of rage, Singh, who was attached to the Quick Reaction Team (QRT) ‘B’ Shift, allegedly entered the office premises and fired indiscriminately from his issued weapon.
The victims have been identified as Assistant Commandant Ankit Kumar Pandey, Sub-Inspector Lakshman Singh, Constable Sanjeev Kumar, and Constable Mohd. Rafiq. Due to the remote location of the camp—which is accessible primarily through Chamba district in neighboring Himachal Pradesh—all four critically injured personnel were rushed to the nearby NHPC Hospital in Chamba, where they succumbed to their bullet injuries. A team from the Kathua district police rushed to the scene to secure the hydroelectric installation and initiate legal proceedings. Meanwhile, the Director General of CISF is monitoring the developments, and a formal Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the comprehensive sequence of events and administrative circumstances leading up to the tragedy.
Published by True Roots Media Network