GUWAHATI: An officer of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) shot two of his colleagues dead before taking his life at the CRPF’s 34 Battalion camp at Katimari in Assam’s Nagaon district on Tuesday. It was learnt that only one company of the CRPF was stationed there after most other personnel were deployed to ethnic violence-hit Manipur.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Ballani Premabaram from Andhra Pradesh, who was deployed at the main gate at the time of the incident, shot Havildar Vishnu Prasad Baghel and Sub-Inspector Ramnawal Singh Yadav dead. Another jawan, Assistant Sub-Inspector Mane Govind Sripul, was injured in the firing and admitted to a local hospital. Later, he was referred to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital in Guwahati. He sustained critical injuries in the incident, police said.
After carrying out the attack, Premabaram entered the B/171 Barrack and shot himself. He died on the spot. Sources said he had been suffering from depression for some time and was on medication.
“He opened fire soon after joining duty at 7 am when most others were doing yoga and there were very few people in the barrack,” Nagaon Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Partha Protim Das told this newspaper.
Premabaram shot two personnel, killing one on the spot and injuring the other. The third person was shot dead while he was in his sleep.
“He was unarmed when he joined duty, and took an INSAS rifle from the Guard Room before opening fire,” the SSP said, adding, “It could have been worse if there were more people then.”
Given his mental condition, CRPF authorities had assigned him “light duty,” sources said. After the incident, senior CRPF and police officers rushed to the site. An investigation by CRPF authorities and the police is underway.
