A soldier died of gunshot injury at the Bathinda Military Station in Punjab at around 4.30 pm on Wednesday, hours after four Army personnel were killed by unidentified shooters at the base, PTI reported.

“The soldier was on sentry duty with his service weapon,” the Army said in a statement.

It added that the weapon and its cartridge case were found next to the body of the soldier. He was immediately taken to the military hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The soldier had returned from leave on April 11, the Army said, adding that it suspects it to be a case of suicide or accidental firing.

The Army stated the incident has “no connection” with the firing 12 hours ago that left four soldiers dead.

FIR against two unidentified shooters

Earlier on Wednesday, the Punjab Police booked two unidentified persons in connection with the killing of the four Army personnel, reported The Indian Express.

According to the first information report, the assailants were wearing kurta-pyjamas and had their faces covered when they shot the Army personnel. They were also carrying a rifle and an axe.

The FIR was filed based on a complaint by Major Ashutosh Shukla of the 80 Medium Regiment of the Artillery.

Shukla said that an INSAS service rifle and a magazine with 28 cartridges had been stolen from the base on April 9, according to The Indian Express. It is suspected that the same rifle was used in the killing.

The incident took place around 4.30 am on Wednesday when the Army personnel were sleeping in their rooms. The dead have been identified as Sagar Banne, Kamalesh R, Yogeshkumar J and Santosh M Nagaral.

The Punjab Police maintains that the incident was not a terrorist attack but a fratricidal incident.

Spread over more than 50 acres, the Bathinda Military Station is one of the country’s largest military stations. It is a vital operational as well as a logistics base for the Army units in southern Punjab and Rajasthan.

On Wednesday, Shukla in his complaint said that he was informed about the shooting by another officer.

He added that when he reached the spot along with another officer of the unit, the two men fled upon seeing him and ran towards an adjacent forest.

An unidentified police officer said that none of the Army personnel in the area opened fire in retaliation as they were performing duty without arms as per standing orders, reported the Hindustan Times.

In a statement on Wednesday evening, the Army said that the rifle and the magazine were located by a search team.

“[The] Army and police joint teams will now be undertaking forensic analysis of the weapon,” it added. “The joint investigation with Punjab Police is in progress.”

The Army also urged the media to “refrain from speculation” considering “the sensitivities involved”.