Refused phone number, trooper kills woman kabaddi player

PATNA - Manisha Kumari, a woman kabaddi player, was shot dead by a CRPF trooper posted at a Patna stadium where she had been practicing for the 34th National Games when she refused to give him her phone number, police said Thursday. The trooper later turned the gun on himself and is in a critical condition.

Manisha, a native of Himachal Pradesh in her early 20s, was a member of the Bihar women’s kabaddi team. She was allegedly killed by CRPF trooper Jaswant Singh near Bahadurpur railway crossing here Wednesday evening. Police say he had been stalking her for the last few days.

Singh later shot himself and was admitted to the Patna Medical College and Hospital. His condition is stated to be critical. A case of murder has been lodged against him.

Singh was posted at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at the Moinul Haq Stadium, where young women players have come to attend practice sessions for the National Games beginning Feb 12.

The victim and another player Meenu were returning to her railway quarters from the stadium after a day’s practice when the incident occurred.

Singh, believed to be in an inebriated state, intercepted Manisha and demanded her mobile number. When she refused, Singh first hit her on the face two or three times and then fired at her with his AK 47, police said.

“Soon after Manisha was shot, she was rushed to a nearby private clinic where doctors declared her brought dead,” a police official said.

Police have recovered 17 empty and four live cartridges from the incident site. “Police have also seized the AK 47 used by CRPF jawan,” a police official said.

Police said Singh, who hails from Rajasthan, belongs to the 131st CRPF battalion,.

The killing has shocked sportspersons, coaches and officials alike, with many associated with kabaddi demanding that the camp be shifted out of the stadium.

Tapas Sen, a kabaddi coach with the Sports Authority of India, said: “The CRPF camp should be removed from the stadium because security personnel often made remarks about woman players.”

Abdul Bari Siddiqui, a top official of the state kabaddi association, said the CRPF camp must be shifted outside the stadium for the safety of players, particularly women.

Mritunjay Tiwari, president of the Bihar players association, said the government should remove the CRPF camp within a week or “we will launch an agitation for it”.

Manisha, a native of Jhalwari village in Himachal Pradesh, was a commercial clerk in Danapur railway division of East Central Railway. She had been practising for the last two weeks at the camp to prove her talent for the 34th National Games in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

She was expected to leave for Ranchi Thursday for the National Games.