Patna: Four Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were killed after a fellow personnel allegedly opened fire at a CISF camp in Basohli area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Tuesday evening. The incident took place at around 7.30 pm at the CISF camp located in the Hatt Maska area of Basohli, where personnel were deployed for the security of the Sewa-II Hydroelectric Power Project.
The deceased have been identified as Assistant Commandant Ankit Kumar Pandey, SI Laxman Singh, Constable Rafiq Ahmad and Constable Sandeep Kumar. According to preliminary information, the accused personnel, identified in the report as Abhidesh Kumar Singh, allegedly opened fire with a government-issued AK-47 rifle following an argument with fellow CISF personnel.
The firing reportedly followed a dispute involving the accused personnel’s wife, Lady Head Constable Pooja Devi, and their child. According to preliminary police information, the dispute began over Pooja Devi bringing the child to the quarter guard while the accused was on duty. The unit administration had reportedly not permitted her to enter or stay at the quarter guard with the child, leading to an argument between the accused and other personnel.
The dispute later escalated at the headquarters office mess section, where four personnel were present, according to the report. The accused allegedly opened fire there before other personnel overpowered him and handed him over to the police. The accused is reportedly a 2009-batch member of the force, and the CISF headquarters has ordered a court of inquiry into the incident.
Basohli police reached the camp after receiving information about the firing. The accused is being questioned as part of the investigation. Further details about the circumstances leading to the incident are expected to emerge during the police investigation and departmental inquiry.
The incident occurred at the CISF camp of the Sewa-II Hydroelectric Power Project in the mountainous Hatt Maska area of Basohli. The project is located on the Ravi River and was commissioned in 1993. A section of the project, reportedly around 300 metres long, was washed away in the 2013 floods, after which the project remained non-operational. CISF personnel had been deployed at the site for security.
The incident has also brought attention to cases of personnel-on-personnel firing in the Central Armed Police Forces. According to information cited from the Ministry of Home Affairs, such incidents have been linked in different cases to factors including personal and domestic problems, family disputes, workplace stress and losing one’s temper during minor disagreements.
Government data cited in the report shows 24 deaths in such firing incidents between 2021 and 2025. The figures were 11 in 2021, six in 2022, two in 2023, one in 2024 and four in 2025.
The government had earlier constituted a task force in October 2021 to examine the reasons behind incidents involving suicide and attacks on fellow personnel in the Central Armed Police Forces. The Ministry of Home Affairs has previously told Parliament that some such incidents were associated with workplace stress, difficulties in getting leave and personal or family-related problems.
In some cases, personnel reportedly lost their temper following minor disagreements with colleagues. The government has also identified long periods away from families and prolonged deployment in difficult working conditions as factors that can affect the mental well-being of personnel.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was established in 1968 through an Act of Parliament, initially with 3,129 personnel. The force now has more than 2.2 lakh personnel.
CISF personnel are deployed across the country to protect 361 government and national institutions, including around 70 airports, according to the information provided. The force also has 12 reserve battalions prepared for emergencies and crisis situations and operates eight training institutions where personnel receive training in new technologies and emerging security challenges.
The investigation into the Kathua firing incident and the departmental court of inquiry are expected to establish the sequence of events and the circumstances that led to the shooting.
