Shooting at Indian military base leaves four soldiers dead
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The incident took place at the Bathinda military station in Punjab, where a separatist movement has had tensions running high recently.
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Indian security personnel outside the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot in Punjab, January 2, 2016. (Reuters)
Four Indian army troops have been fatally shot at a facility in northern India on Wednesday, according to an army statement.
The incident occurred at about 4:35 a.m. (1105 GMT) at the Bathinda military base in Punjab, a northern province where tensions have been high due to the emergence of a separatist movement in the region.
According to the army statement, the area will be sealed off while investigations are ongoing with the Punjab Police in order to "establish the facts of the case."
G.S. Khurana, Bathinda's top security official, told NDTV that the incident is not believed to be terror-related.
Punjab has been on edge since authorities started a manhunt for fiery Sikh separatist preacher Amritpal Singh last month.
Singh has amassed a sizable following in recent months by seeking the establishment of Khalistan, a distinct Sikh nation, the battle for which prompted fatal conflict in Punjab in the 1980s and 1990s.
He is still at large despite a massive police dragnet involving hundreds of policemen and a nationwide internet outage that lasted several days.
