By Eumu Emmanuel
A tragic incident unfolded in Amolatar District on October 4, 2024, where a UPDF soldier fatally shot an Indian engineer before taking his own life. The victims were identified as Thirumalish Itikala, a 41-year-old Indian national and site engineer for Royal Velko Joint Venture Ltd, and Private Tolit James Opio, aged 38, a UPDF soldier deployed at the same site in Namasale.
The events reportedly began on October 3, when Pte Tolit attended a disco in a nearby trading center. He returned to work the following morning, visibly upset, and complained about inadequate allowances paid to him and his fellow guards. At approximately 9:00 AM, Tolit confronted Thirumalish, who was speaking on the phone in front of his office. Without warning, Tolit shot him in the chest before fleeing about 50 meters from the site, where he shot himself in the neck, dying instantly.
Emergency responders rushed Thirumalish to Amolatar Health Center IV, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Police officers, led by the District Police Commander (DPC) of Amolatar, quickly arrived at the scene to examine and document evidence. Both bodies were then taken to the health center for postmortem examinations.
This tragic incident underscores the importance of open communication between management and security staff to address concerns and avoid such fatal confrontations. The police are continuing their investigation into the matter.