The Central Reserve Police Force constable, who allegedly shot and killed four of his colleagues at a camp in Chhattisgarh’s Basaguda area, was targeting a commander over a personal grudge, the Hindustan Times reported on Sunday.
The constable, Santh Kumar, was upset with platoon commander sub-inspector Vikey Sharma, said an officer supervising the investigation. “Preliminary information suggests the firing happened only from one end, and this was after some internal conflict,” P Sundar Raj, Deputy Inspector General, Chhattisgarh Police (Dantewada division), told The Indian Express.
Sharma had accused Kumar of leaving the camp and going to a nearby village looking for alcohol, the Hindustan Times reported. Kumar was then shifted to the main camp in Basaguda and given the job of a dog-handler, which he refused to do.
Kumar planned to attack only Sharma, said the police. “But since he fired from an AK-47 rifle, which is an automatic weapon, the bullets sprayed and others in the vicinity were killed,” an unidentified officer told the Hindustan Times.
Two sub inspectors (including Sharma), an assistant sub-inspector and a constable were killed, while another jawan was injured. Kumar was taken into custody soon after the shooting.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!