JAMMU: Four Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, including an assistant commandant, were killed on Tuesday after a colleague allegedly opened fire at a National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd (NHPC) project in J&K’s Kathua district, officials said.Head constable Abhidesh Kumar allegedly started shooting from his service rifle following an argument with some colleagues around 7.30pm at Sewa-III project of the central PSU in Kathua’s Basohli area, near the border with Himachal Pradesh, the officials said.The exact circumstances and the nature of the altercation that led to the fatal firing at the site in Mashka village remained unclear. Senior CISF and J&K Police officers have rushed to the spot, around 150km from Jammu city.The four personnel suffered critical wounds and later succumbed to their injuries at a nearby NHPC hospital, the officials said. They were identified as assistant commandant Ankit Kumar Pandey, sub-inspector Lakshman Singh, and constables Sanjeev Kumar and Mohammed Rafiq.

Abhidesh, the accused head constable, was overpowered by other colleagues after the shooting and later arrested, the officials said, adding his service weapon was seized.

Other details remained hazy till late Tuesday even as senior officers arrived at the project site to ascertain the events leading up to the horrific fratricide.The attack wasn’t an isolated one among security personnel in this J&K zone under Jammu division. On Aug 14 this year, a village defence Guard (VDG), Surjeet Singh, gunned down a colleague and critically injured another following a scuffle in Udhampur, around 120km from Kathua.(With PTI inputs)