Drunk CRPF man guns down six colleagues, shot dead (Second Lead)

RANCHI - A drunk Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable gunned down six of his colleagues, including an assistant commandant, in a camp in Jharkhand’s Saraikela district late Friday night. He was later shot dead, police said Saturday.

Constable Harpinder Singh of the 196 battalion started firing indiscriminately from his automatic rifle around 10.30 p.m. Friday, killing six CRPF men, including Assistant Commandant Bishau Singh, in the Kuchai camp in Saraikela, around 160 km from here.

Singh was gunned down around 2 a.m. by the CRPF men, Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP) Neyaz Ahmad told IANS.

In the firing, one sub-inspector was also injured. He has been admitted to Mahtma Gandhi Medical and College hospital in Jamshedpur. He is out of danger.

According to police, the 196 battalion of the CRPF camp was stationed in the Kuchai block of Seraikela district - one of the worst Maoist-hit areas of the state.

What provoked Singh to open fire is not known. According to sources, it was either a spat over the preparation of meals which upset Harpinder while it was also suggested that he opened fire after fears of action against him as the assistant commandant was informed that he was drunk on duty and had asked two troopers to smell his mouth.

The post mortem examination of seven killed CRPF men including Harpinder was done Saturday.

A probe has been ordered and a First Information Report (FIR) filed.