Cop posted in Maoist-hit area kills himself

RAIPUR - Apparently upset over being posted in a Maoist-affected area, a 27-year-old policeman shot himself with his service revolver in Chhattisgarh, authorities said Saturday.

Constable Pankaj Singh had just been brought from Kawardha district to the restive Rajnandgaon district, where the state government has stepped up anti-Maoist operations. He killed himself Friday at the Chichola police station.

“The exact reason for the extreme act is yet to be known. But his colleagues confirmed that Pankaj was disturbed over his new posting in the district that has witnessed several Maoist attacks,” a police officer said.

In one of the deadliest attacks, Maoists had killed 29 policemen in Rajnandgaon district bordering Maharashtra in July last year. District police chief B.K. Choubey was among those killed.