Major Shikhar Thapa
Srinagar, July 18
A soldier on duty allegedly shot dead a Major in cold blood after the officer scolded him for using a cellphone at a forward post in north Kashmir’s Uri sector.Major Shikhar Thapa, attached to 8 Rashtriya Rifles and posted at Buchar post in Kamalkote, was shot late on Monday near the Line of Control, hours after a soldier was injured in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the sector.
Major Thapa originally belonged to 71 Armoured Regiment but had been attached to 8 RR unit in Uri for nearly a year.“Amid hostility along the LoC, the officer found the jawan using a phone while on duty. The officer warned him and tried to confiscate the phone. In the process, its screen broke leading to an argument,” a source said.( AK-47, killing him on the spot. The jawan was overpowered. A probe has been ordered and a police case registered. Since the start of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, dozens of soldiers have committed suicide or have been killed by their colleagues. Fratricidal killings are believed to be due to “high level of stress”.This is the first major fratricide incident in Kashmir in three years. In 2014, a soldier from the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry in Poonch shot two of his colleagues before turning the gun on himself.In March 2014, a solider of 13 Rashtriya Rifles shot five of his sleeping colleagues before ending his life in the Manasbal area of central Kashmir. — TNS
It’s hard to believe, says Major’s father
Parents of Major Shikhar Thapa inconsolable at their house near Dharamsala. Photo: Kamaljeet
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, July 18
A pal of gloom descended on the house of Major Shikhar Thapa (29), who was killed in a fratricide incident in the Uri sector of Kashmir last night. Kuljeet, his neighbour, said, “We were taken aback when we heard screams coming from the house Maj Shikhar this morning. Later, we came to know that the Major has been shot by a soldier.”Shock and confusion prevailed among family members of the late Major. “We have come to know that Major Thapa might be given the status of a martyr by the Army as there was heavy cross-firing going on between Indian and Pakistani troops when the incident happened, said the uncle of the soldier.Arvind Kumar, father of Major Thapa, who is also an ex-serviceman and retired teacher from the Himachal Government, found it hard to believe that a fellow soldier could kill his officer in the Army. Serving in the Army was a tradition in the family. His grandfather Anand Thapa had also served in the Army and had retired as Subedar.Major Thapa (29) had joined the Army in 2011 after completing his engineering. He was married to Suvidha Thapa and the couple had 3-month-old son Suvir. Major Thapa had visited his family three months ago to see his new-born son. He has also talked to his wife on the phone yesterday at 11 pm.Poonam Thapa, mother of the Major, was inconsolable and was not in a position to talk. Friends and people from the Dari area started gathering at his house.The last rites of Major Thapa will be performed at Dharamsala after the body arrives here tomorrow.Major Thapa was serving the 71 Armoured Regiment but was attached to the 8 Rashtriya Rifles in Uri close to Line of Control. Sources said Major Thapa pulled up a soldier for using mobile phone while on duty in the sensitive area which led to an argument. The soldier shot the officer with his AK 47 rifle around 12.15 am.