Two killed in scuffle with drunken armyman

Guwahati: The firing allegedly by an Assam Rifles personnel in Tezpur on Sunday  night in which two persons were killed and a woman was injured, was in the personal capacity of the jawan and no counter insurgency operational angle was involved in it, the Army on Monday said.
“The firing incident has no counter insurgency/counter terrorism operational angle involved in it. As per the information available, the Assam rifles personnel allegedly got into this scuffle with the civilians in his personal capacity”, Defence spokesman Lt Col Suneet Newton said here.
“He is under police custody and the Army authorities are extending full cooperation in the investigation of the case”, the spokesperson said.
Two persons were killed and a woman was injured in the alleged firing at Patia Chuburi under Tezpur Sadar police station in Mission Chariali area of Sonitpur district in lower Assam.
The cause of the firing was not yet ascertained and an investigation is on, Sonitpur Superintendent of Police Sanjukta Parasar said.
The deceased were identified as Gautam Das and Babu Das, while injured Jinu Das was admitted to Tezpur Kanaklata Civil hospital, Parasar said.
The local people claimed that the jawan opened fire when the family refused to serve him liquor. Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary force of the country, is under the Ministry of Home Affairs and conducts counter insurgency and border security operations under the control of the Army. (PTI with inputs from our correspondent)