RAIPUR: Four CRPF personnel were killed and three others injured after their colleague opened fire at them in Lingapalli base camp located in the strife-torn Sukma district, about 500 km south of Raipur, on Monday.
The constable, Ritesh Ranjan, was reportedly enraged over the persistent deriding remarks against him by other personnel in the camp of 50th battalion of CRPF.
"During the small hours of the day, the jawan opened fire. It's terrible incident for us. The jawan was overpowered by others in the camp and taken into custody. Two personnel died on the spot. Two others while being taken to the hospital at Bhadrachalam (Telangana state), which is nearest to the Lingapalli camp", said H K Sahu, CRPF spokesperson.
The injured will soon be airlifted to Chhattisgarh capital Raipur, he added. Meanwhile, senior CRPF officials have rushed to the camp.
"The reason behind the incident is yet to be ascertained. However according to the preliminary feedback received from the other security personnel in the camp, some jawans used to poke fun at him. It seems that Ranjan took the extreme step owing to his weak mental health and apparent distress", Sukma SP Sunil Sharma told The New Indian Express.
The incident nevertheless has alarmed the armed forces deployed in the anti-Maoist operations in the conflict-ridden Bastar zone.