Major shot dead by jawan in Uri sector

A jawan shot dead an Army Major on Monday after he was reprimanded for using his mobile phone at a forward post along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector.

Major Shekhar Thapa of 8 Rashtriya Rifles, an elite counter-insurgency unit deployed in Uri, was shot dead by the jawan, whose identity the Army did not disclose.

The Army said that an investigation has already been initiated and the jawan has been disarmed and taken into custody.

Sources said Major Thapa was doing a routine check at a forward post on the LoC around 12.10 am when the incident happened. On finding the jawan using his cellphone, Major Thapa seized it and reportedly reprimanded him. The officer also reportedly warned him of further punishment at the battalion level. After this, the jawan fired several bullets at the officer, while he was leaving the post.