Four CRPF jawans were killed and three wounded when their colleague indiscriminately opened fire at them in a suspected case of fratricide in the CRPF’s 50 battalion camp in Lingalapalli village in neighbouring Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district early on November 8. Police sources said that a CRPF jawan identified as Reetesh Ranjan allegedly fired shots at his colleagues with his service rifle (AK-47) on the premises of the camp around 3.30 a.m.
Around 4 Colleagues Were Killed
All the seven injured jawans were brought to the Government Area Hospital in Telangana’s Bhadrachalam, where four of them were declared brought dead. Two of the injured were later airlifted to Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur. One is undergoing treatment at the government hospital in Bhadrachalam and his condition is stated to be stable.
Three of the deceased were identified as Rajib Mondal, Dhanji and Rajmani Kumar Yadav, sources added. The exact motive behind the firing could not be ascertained immediately.
Jawan’s Suffered From Emotional Stress
Meanwhile, the CRPF said the jawan may have been suffering from “emotional stress” leading to sudden psychological disbalance. “The local police has begun an investigation into the case and all legal actions will follow. The Central Reserve Police Force [CRPF] has ordered an inquiry into the incident to ascertain the cause of the incident and suggest remedial measures.
“Prima facie, it seems that due to some emotional stress leading to sudden psychological disbalance, constable Reetesh Ranjan lost his control and in a fit of rage opened fire on his colleagues,” a CRPF spokesperson said.
He said the CRPF deputy inspector general (DIG), Commandant of the 50th battalion in which the shooting took place and other senior officers, are present at the incident site. “All the injured are being provided requisite medical care and evacuation of the injured in need of better medical care has been tied up,” he said.
