BHUBANESWAR: The elite anti-Naxal strike force of Orissa police, Special Operations Group (SOG), was struck by its first case of suicide among the ranks on Saturday when a commando shot himself with his automatic rifle at the SOG Training Centre in Chandaka.
The incident took place around 9.30 am inside the campus of the training centre. The commando, Sudam Pradhan (30), was deployed on quarter guard duty at the armoury of the unit. He had apparently pointed the AK 47 rifle on himself and pulled the trigger.
The burst of the automatic weapon killed him on the spot. Two bullets pierced through his neck.
According to reports, Pradhan was suffering from depression which led him to take the extreme step. He has left behind a suicide note along with scribblings on his hand, wherein he has expressed his dejection over his police service.
“I am not fit for police job. I wanted to be a farmer”, the suicide note reportedly said while the writings on his hand revealed his frustration stating, “I do not deserve to be alive”.
The commando, who hails from Bargarh, had recently completed his training and was posted as armoury guard in the training facility. He would have been shifted to the operational areas in the Naxal-infested districts in a few months.
IG Operations Sanjeev Marik said the commando was beset by his own problems and not under pressure of the job. “He was yet to be posted in the strife zones or engaged in operational duty. As his suicide note reveals, he was never interested for police job. After matriculation, he had joined police due to family pressure. He appeared homesick and the intense longing could have aroused such extreme feelings within him”, Marik observed.
The body of the jawan has been brought to the Capital Hospital for postmortem. A case of unnatural death has been registered at the Chandaka police station.