Man killed after he tries to enter Budgam Air Force station

SRINAGAR: A man believed to be mentally unsound was killed after he entered the security zone at the Air Force station in Budgam district of central Kashmir.

The sentry opened fire after warning him at midnight, police said on Monday.

An official at the police control room, Budgam, identified the man as Syed Habibullah.

“The man crossed the security fence and came close to the station perimeter wall and did not stop despite repeated warnings from the sentry,” a police spokesperson said.

He added that the sentry fired some warning shots in air but the individual did not stop.the sentry fired towards him, he added.

The spokesperson further said that the preliminary investigations indicate that the man, aged around 50-55 year, appears to be mentally challenged.

He was not wearing any footwear and was without proper winter clothing and had no identity card.

Pertinently there is no habitation near the place of incident.

Earlier this month, two militants had tried to enter a CRPF camp in Srinagar but the attack was foiled when an alert sentry opened fire on them.

The CRPF awarded the sentry, Raghunath Gaite, last week and announced out-of-turn promotion for him.

The two militants and a CRPF jawan were killed in the gun-fight that ensued after the attack was thwarted.