He escaped militants, not BSF

However, destiny had something else in store for him. He was hit not by militants’ bullets, but BSF personnel, who mistook him for a militant and opened fire on him on Thursday. He is now battling for life at the Government Medical College Hospital.

‘‘Had Kishen not listened to my words, right now he would have been sitting among family members,’’ rues Karnail Singh.

After the suicide attack on Kaluchak on May 14, this is the third case when a civilian has been mistaken for militants by the security forces. Few days ago, one person was killed when a sentry at the Sunderbani Army Camp mistook him for a militant and opened fire.

The incident occurred when Kishen Singh and his friend, Mohan Lal bid adieu to the marriage party and moved towards their village. By the time the duo reached Taryath, it was dark. Heeding his brother’s advice, Kishen Singh decided to stay back at Lal’s place.

He had just stepped onto the verandah of Lal’s residence when a barrage of bullets from inside hit him. BSF personnel of the 136 Battalion, who had taken shelter in Lal’s house, mistook him for a militant and opened fire.

This despite Lal’s wife telling BSF personnel that her husband, who had gone to attend a marriage, might return home at night. ‘‘Even then they mistook them as militants,’’ said Guddo, a relative.

Mohan Lal, unaware of the BSF personnel’s presence when he arrived, called his wife from outside. This led BSF men to suspect that militants were trying to barge into the house. Without verifying, they opened fire, alleged one relative Guddo.

‘‘We heard sounds of gunshots, but took it as routine firing,’’ said Karnail Singh, who along with other VDC member was patrolling the village. Before the BSF men could celebrate their ‘‘achievement,’’ Bansi Lal, a Special Police Official (SPO) who was with them, identified Kishen.

Worried BSF personnel immediately shifted him to the hospital. Now to compensate, they are paying for his treatment. ‘‘We were asked by our officer to ensure that the family of the injured do not have to spend anything from their pockets,’’ said a BSF official sitting on Kishen Singh’s bedside.

But the BSF’s gesture holds no meaning for Kishen Singh’s family. The question haunting them is that if Kishen Singh, the sole breadwinner of the family, doesn’t survive, who will look after his wife and children. ‘‘Will the BSF be able to compensate for that loss then?’’ asked another family member.

BSF spokesperson S. Gabriel admitted the incident was a case of mistaken identity. ‘‘At night it becomes difficult for security personnel, who had laid ambush, to check the antecedents of a person.’’

‘‘Compensation if any will be given by the civil administration,’’ he added.