Four personnel, including an officer, were killed after a jawan opened fire on his colleagues at a camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua, according to the report.

The incident took place at a security camp in Kathua, where the jawan allegedly opened fire on fellow personnel. Four colleagues were killed in the firing.

An officer was among those killed in the incident. Further details about the circumstances surrounding the firing and the sequence of events are being reported as authorities investigate the incident.

The incident comes after similar cases of personnel opening fire on colleagues at security-force camps have been reported in different parts of the country. However, no conclusion about the reason behind the Kathua firing should be drawn without an official account of the incident.

The focus of the investigation will be on establishing what led to the firing and the circumstances in which the four personnel were killed.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has faced criticism from the BJP after making remarks comparing the political use of Lord Ram and Lord Shiva during an event in New Delhi.

Speaking at The Conclave 2026 on Monday, September 28, Revanth Reddy contrasted the BJP’s use of the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan with the “Hara Hara Mahadev” chant. He said both Lord Ram and Lord Shiva are deities, before drawing a political and social comparison between the two.

What Revanth Reddy said about Ram and Shiva

Revanth Reddy said the BJP places greater emphasis on “Jai Shri Ram”, while people in southern India commonly use “Hara Hara Mahadev”.

He questioned why BJP leaders do not use the “Hara Hara Mahadev” slogan as frequently.

The Telangana Chief Minister then made the remark that has drawn attention, saying that Lord Ram is the “God of the rich” and Lord Shiva is the “God of the poor”. He also linked the comparison to his broader argument about differences between political and cultural traditions in northern and southern India.

Reddy further described the political-cultural divide using the terms “Dravidians” for the South and “Aryans” for the North, while saying that people in the South are more associated with devotion to Shiva and people in the North with devotion to Ram.

BJP criticism of Revanth Reddy

The remarks have triggered criticism from the BJP, bringing the religious comparison into the ongoing political exchanges between the BJP and the Congress.

Reddy’s comments came in the context of a wider political speech in which he criticised the BJP-led central government on issues including the Election Commission, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies.

Revanth Reddy’s wider remarks at the event

During the same event, the Telangana Chief Minister also alleged that the political situation was no longer simply a “North versus South” divide but had become a “Gujarat versus the entire country” situation.

He criticised the Centre over what he described as inadequate support for Telangana’s development projects and raised concerns about the possible impact of population-based delimitation on southern states. These were statements and allegations made by Reddy during the event.

Reddy also criticised the SIR exercise and called for a nationwide “SIR Go Back” movement. He alleged that the revision process could lead to the removal of voters and questioned the role of the Election Commission. These claims were made by the Chief Minister and are presented as his allegations, rather than independently established facts.

Why Revanth Reddy’s Ram-Shiva remark matters

The “Ram for rich, Shiva for poor” comment has become the most prominent part of Reddy’s remarks because it directly connects religious symbolism with his political argument about the BJP and Congress.

The statement was made as part of a broader discussion about the perceived political and cultural differences between northern and southern India. The BJP’s criticism of the comment has added another point of contention to the political exchange between the two parties.

The Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer has sought greater discretion for electoral officials using the Election Commission’s ECINET platform during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The request comes as Maharashtra is going through the notice phase of the voter-list revision exercise. The state poll chief has sought changes in the software so that officials at the local level can exercise their statutory powers more effectively while dealing with cases.

The demand relates to the role-based access and restrictions built into ECINET, the Election Commission’s digital platform used for several election-related services and operations. The Election Commission describes ECINET as a unified platform connecting voters, political parties, candidates and election officials.

Maharashtra CEO seeks changes to ECINET

Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam wrote to senior Election Commission officials seeking changes to the way ECINET operates during SIR, according to the report.

The request seeks to ensure that Electoral Registration Officers and other field-level officials can exercise the powers available to them under election laws without being unnecessarily constrained by software restrictions.

The issue is significant because electoral officials are handling discrepancies and other cases arising during the voter-roll revision process. Greater flexibility, as sought by the Maharashtra CEO, is intended to allow officials to take decisions within the powers assigned to them.

What is the ECINET issue?

ECINET is the Election Commission’s digital platform for election-related services and administrative functions. It provides access to voter-registration services, application tracking, voter-list searches and communication with election officials, among other functions.

The Maharashtra poll chief’s request concerns the level of discretion available to officials operating through the system. The demand comes amid questions about whether software-based restrictions can limit officials from exercising powers provided to them under the relevant electoral framework.

The Election Commission has subsequently decided to review ECINET and examine whether its functioning is consistent with the applicable laws and rules. A committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT has been constituted for the review.

Changes announced during SIR

The Election Commission has also eased the procedure for people who receive notices during SIR because of unmapped or logical discrepancies.

Under the revised process, Booth Level Officers can visit the homes of such voters, collect the required documents and upload them on ECINET for consideration by the Electoral Registration Officer. Such voters ordinarily do not have to appear personally before the ERO or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer. Hearings can be held in exceptional circumstances, preferably online, if the ERO considers them necessary.

The Election Commission has also extended the deadline for filing claims and objections in Maharashtra to October 12, 2026, with disposal of those claims extended to November 10, 2026.

The Maharashtra SIR process is aimed at revising and updating electoral rolls. The state administration has provided voters with facilities to verify their previous electoral-roll details and submit the required enumeration information.