Jammu, Dec 24 : A junior commissioned officer (JCO) of the Army was killed in a gunshot incident on Wednesday while on duty in Jammu and Kashmirâ??s Samba district.

Officials said the injured JCO was immediately shifted to the hospital, but he succumbed to critical injury.

While an investigation has been started into the incident, officials said, any terrorist angle to the incident has been ruled out.

More details were awaited.

Incidents of accidental firing resulting in fatal injuries to deployed Army and security forces have been witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir in the past as well.

Careless handling of service weapons or a weapon going off accidentally due to some other reason has cost the precious lives of the deployed forces in past as well.

Long duty hours in hostile conditions and separation from families with a lack of entertainment in deployed areas have been cited by counsellors as the main reasons for lack of alertness among the deployed forces.

Periodic leaves to join families, entertainment avenues at barracks and headquarters, better command and control structure are some of the remedial measures suggested for sustained alertness among the deployed forces doing duties in hostile environments.

Soldiers deployed in higher reaches, where heavy snowfall results in avalanches and other weather-related calamities, also impacts the living conditions of the soldiers.

The Army bunkers are sometimes hit by these avalanches and snowstorms, resulting in unforeseen casualties. The bravery and commitment of the deployed soldiers guarding the countryâ??s frontiers are a matter of pride for the nation. These sentinels of the nation spend sleepless nights to ensure that their fellow countrymen have peace and protection.

The biggest example of the Indian Armyâ??s commitment to duty is the Siachen Glacier, called the Worldâ??s highest battlefield. The glacier lies immediately south of the great drainage divide that separates the Eurasian plate from the Indian sub-continent in the extensively glaciated portion of the Karakoram, sometimes called the â??Third Poleâ??.

The average winter snowfall is more than 1000 cm (35 ft), and temperatures can dip to minus 50 degrees Celsius. Including all tributary glaciers, the Siachen Glacier system covers about 700 sq km (270 sq miles).

/IANS