2 CISF men killed in their spat at Indian mission in Nepal

‘‘The facts, as far as we can ascertain at present, following a preliminary enquiry, are that last night (17.1.2005), an altercation occurred among a couple of guards. One of these guards, in the early hours of the morning, shot at one of the other guards, in the process killing two and wounding the third. A full investigation is under way to ascertain all details,’’ the Embassy statement said.

The Embassy did not identify the dead, the wounded or the person who pulled the trigger, who has apparently been arrested.

CISF officials in Delhi, however, said a case is being registered against the constable, Ravinder Rana, who allegedly shot his colleagues, Shankar and Kanan, before being overpowered.

According to sources, the wounded guard is in a stable condition and undergoing treatment in the Teaching Hospital here.

A special Indian Airlines Avro aircraft landed here this afternoon to collect the bodies, the sources said. However, its departure has been deferred by a day as the postmortems were not completed, they added.

The bodies will be taken to the aircraft through the military base area at the Tribhuvan international airport, the sources said, instead of the regular route.

Meanwhile, CISF chief K M Singh told The Indian Express in Delhi that, ‘‘It is a sad day for the force, but I would describe the incident as an aberration and not a reflection of the force or its abilities.’’ He ruled out denial of leave or excessive stress as possible reasons behind the shootout.