A court in Kulgam Wednesday sentenced a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of killing three of his colleagues and leaving fourth one injured in 2011.
After hearing the prosecution and the defence lawyer, District Sessions Judge Kulgam, Muhammad Ashraf Malik, ordered that convict Sanjay Kumar will undergo life imprisonment for committing murder of three persons.
The court also sentenced him to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed Rs 30,000 fine on the convict for attempt to murder on his fourth colleague. “Both sentences shall run concurrently,” the court said.
The court ordered that in case of default of payment of fine, the convict shall further undergo one year simple imprisonment that shall run consecutive to the substantive sentences.
In 2011, three CRPF personnel were killed and another one critically injured in the fratricidal shootout inside a barrack of the 18 Battalion in Kulgam town. All four were working as drivers in the Force.
During investigation, Police arrested victims’ colleague Sanjay Kumar of Gomadi village of Uttar Pradesh.
As per prosecution, the accused used to engage in exchange of abuses during which the victims cast scandalous aspersions on his kin, “which infuriated the accused and filled him with an evil desire to wreak revenge.”
The accused under a well thought out plan on 24 December 2011 at 10:20pm, when all the CRPF personnel were asleep in MT Bark, fired shots with the weapon upon the victims. He killed his three colleagues and leaving one more injured.
Those who had become prey to the bullets of the convicted were Suman Pillay, P Sibbu and Javaid Husain. The injured constable, SD Murthy, however, recovered after sustaining bullet injuries but had to amputate limb during medical treatment.
As many as 30 witnesses out of the 33 catalogued in the police report were examined during the trial.