Imphal, Jan. 8: A colonel of 6 Assam Rifles was injured when a jawan opened fire at the battalion's headquarters at Sendra on the fringes of Loktak lake in Bishnupur district of Manipur this morning.
Army sources said Col Neeraj Kumar, commanding officer of the 6 Assam Rifles unit, sustained bullet injuries on his limbs when the jawan fired indiscriminately from his AK-47 rifle on the unit's campus, about 48km from here, around 5.30am.
The sources said the colonel got injured while trying to protect another person, apparently the target of the firing. It is not clear whether the person was a jawan or an officer.
Other sources in Bishnupur district said a "hot argument" had ensued between the commanding officer and cook Leisham Rajesh, resident of Thoubal district, last evening. This morning, the cook was given an AK-47 for firing practice. He went straight to the commanding officer's residence and fired a full magazine into the officer's room. Three rounds hit the colonel, they said.
Authorities at Sendra confirmed that there was firing by a jawan on the campus. "The officer is safe and is undergoing treatment at Leimakhong army hospital," a source said. Another source said Col Kumar was airlifted to the hospital.
The jawan has been detained by the army, the sources added.
The reason for the firing could not be ascertained immediately. "We are investigating the case. Whether the firing was accidental or under duress is not known at the moment," the source said.
Moirang police station has registered a case.
Arms found: Arms and ammunition were recovered by the Assam Rifles, the army and police commandos in a joint operation in Bunghal Khullen area of Thoubal district yesterday.
An Assam Rifles release today said the team recovered one AK-56 rifle along with a large quantity of ammunition from near a house. The house was locked and its owner, Lelen Kipgen, was missing. The team unlocked the house in the presence of villagers and found an extortion note and incriminating documents belonging to a faction of the Kuki National Front. The recovered items were handed over to Yairipok police station.
No one has been apprehended so far.
Additional reporting by Our Special Correspondent in New Delhi
