NHPC Sewa-II Project Firing: Four CISF Personnel Killed, Allegedly by Colleague Head Constable

Four Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were killed after a fellow securityman allegedly opened fire with an AK-47 at the CISF deployment associated with NHPC’s 120-MW Sewa-II Hydroelectric Power Station at Mashka in Kathua district of Jammu & Kashmir.

The accused CISF personnel, Head Constable Abhidesh Singh, was overpowered by his colleagues following the firing and subsequently arrested. Police reached the spot and secured the area as investigations into the incident got underway.

The firing left four CISF personnel critically injured. They were shifted to the NHPC Hospital in Himachal Pradesh for treatment, but all four later succumbed to their injuries.

Those killed have been identified as Assistant Commandant Ankit Kumar Pandey, Sub-Inspector Lakshman Singh, Constable Rafiq Ahmed and Constable Sandeep Kumar.

CISF orders internal inquiry

The CISF has initiated an internal inquiry to establish the circumstances that led to the incident. Investigators are expected to examine the events preceding the firing, the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and how the service weapon came to be used against fellow personnel.

The police have also begun their investigation. The exact circumstances leading to the shooting and the motive behind the alleged attack have not yet been established.

Head Constable Abhidesh Singh was taken into custody after being overpowered by other CISF personnel at the site.

NHPC’s Sewa-II project

The incident occurred at the Sewa-II Hydroelectric Power Station, a 120-MW run-of-the-river project developed and operated by NHPC Limited, the Central PSU under the Ministry of Power.

Located on the Sewa River in Kathua district, the project comprises three 40-MW generating units and was commissioned in 2010. NHPC continues to operate and maintain the power station.

The Sewa-II project is distinct from the nearby 9-MW Sewa-III Hydroelectric Project, which is associated with the Jammu & Kashmir power sector. The distinction is important because both projects carry the Sewa name and are located in the same broader region.

Security at critical infrastructure under scrutiny

The fatal firing at a CISF deployment guarding a major hydropower installation has also brought renewed attention to security and command arrangements at critical infrastructure projects.

CISF personnel are deployed at several strategically important installations across the country’s power and energy sectors. The findings of the internal inquiry will be crucial in establishing what triggered the confrontation and whether there were any security or procedural lapses preceding the incident.

For now, the police and CISF investigations are continuing, with further details awaited.