Jawan kills five drunk soldiers for sex attack

NEW DELHI: A constable of the India Reserve Battalion (IRB), Sikkim, shot dead five members of his force, including two senior colleagues, in Delhi on Sunday, apparently enraged by their attempt to assault him sexually.

Police said Constable Nari Lepcha opened fire in the early hours of Sunday. “Lepcha shot them using his self-loading service rifle, and later chopped their bodies using an axe,” said Alok Kumar, deputy commissioner of police. The incident took place at the Dena Bank treasury in Daryaganj area of central Delhi.

Personnel from the Sikkim police have been posted at the treasury for the past two months.

Police have identified the dead men as lance naiks Kumar Basnet and Vishal Tiwari, and constables Lakshman Subba, Karma Butia, and Santabir Tamang. “It seems Lepcha was attacked by his drunken seniors,” said Kumar.

Police said Tiwari and Lakshman Subba had come to meet the other IRB personnel at the bank. “They had brought liquor for the other four,” Kumar said. “They all had served together earlier.”

He said that after consuming liquor, Tiwari tried to sexually assault Lepcha, setting off a brawl. “Lepcha was injured on his right shoulder during the assault,” Kumar said.

After shooting his colleagues, Lepcha went to the police and blamed another constable, JB Subba, for the killings. “Lepcha said Subba had opened fire, and that he had managed to escape because he was hiding in the bathroom,” Kumar said.

It was found, however, that Subba was posted at another location at the time of the incident. He had, in fact, not visited the treasury in a long time. Lepcha broke down after another round of interrogation and admitted killing his fellow soldiers.

Some 400 IRB personnel are currently serving in the capital. They have been assigned security duties at such important sites as the Prime Minister’s residence, foreign embassies, and the Old Fort.