By IRNA
Srinagar : An Indian soldier caught while molesting a Kashmiri woman in Srinagar outskirts on Thursday shot himself dead after killing a civilian pedestrian and injuring two others by opening indiscriminate fire to escape public fury.
Residents of Kangan township, who had severely beaten the soldier and torn his uniform, later blocked strategic Srinagar-Ladakh highway as a mark of protest.
The police has filed a murder case against the army, but the latter maintains that the serviceman and the civilian were killed in militant firing.
According to eyewitnesses two personnel from the army's elite Rashtrya Rifles, who were on routine duty on the local Hospital forcibly took a passing class 12 girl into the second floor of nearby Building and attempted to outrage her modesty.
According to locals a laborer Abdul Rahman Magary, 45, spotted the offense and raised an alarm, bringing people in the vicinity to the scene who entered the building and managed to catch one of the soldiers, while the other escaped by jumping out of the window.
The crowd dragged the captured soldier out of the building, giving him a severe beating, they said.
According to the locals, the soldier opened indiscriminate fire on the crowd, killing Magray on the spot and injuring two other persons.
The soldier then turned his gun on himself pulled the trigger.
Badly wounded, the soldier took advantage of the commotion caused by the gunfire and dashed into the nearby army camp.
According to the police, the army rushed him to the military hospital in Wusan where he succumbed to his injuries.
The army did not disclose the identity of the soldier, and claimed that he was killed in militant firing.
A top district police official, Abdul Razzaq Khan, said that so far they had statements from civilians only, and army authorities were being contacted.
The demonstrators blocked traffic on the Srinagar-Leh Road, due to which a large number of Amarnath pilgrims were held up for several hours.
The protests were on and the girl was in police custody when reports last came in.