Two Punjab Police personnel deployed at a checkpoint near the border with Pakistan were reportedly found shot dead on Sunday.
The slain officers were identified as Home Guard Ashok Kumar and Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurnam Singh. They were reportedly positioned at a checkpoint in Adiyan village under the Dorangla police station in the Gurdaspur district. It remains unclear whether they shot each other or if a third person was involved, The Indian Express said in a report.
There were reports of firing at the checkpoint, and the two policemen were found dead when more officers arrived to probe the incident, the news report said. "In the morning, we received information that two of our personnel had sustained gunshot injuries," Gurdaspur SSP Aditya was quoted as telling news agency PTI.
The bodies were shifted to Gurdaspur Civil Hospital for post-mortem. The checkpost has been cordoned off and forensic teams were summoned to examine weapons, casings, and other evidence.
These outposts, maintained by the Punjab Police in close coordination with the Border Security Force, act as the second line of defence, he said, adding that the area where the incident occurred lies about 2 km from the Indo-Pak border.
Gurdaspur is a border district in Punjab's Majha region, located between the Beas and Ravi rivers. Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring urged both the state and central governments to investigate the incident.
"It is a matter of grave concern that our two policemen were found shot dead near an outpost in Adhian village, Gurdaspur district. Our sympathies are with the bereaved families, who have lost their loved ones... We can't afford to be partisan or divided on the matter of security of our people, state, and the country," the Congress leader said in a post.
