A 34-year-old Border Security Force soldier died by suicide after shooting himself with his service weapon in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Saturday, reported PTI.

“Constable Balmiki Sinha of BSF’s 162nd battalion shot himself with an INSAS rifle at the barrack in the camp,” an unidentified official said, reported PTI. “On hearing the gunshot, his colleagues rushed to the spot and found him lying in the pool of blood.”

The incident took place at a Border Security Force camp in Kanker’s Sarangipal village. Sinha had returned to duty after a two-month leave following the death of his wife, the unidentified official told the news agency.

Advertisement

Sinha belonged to the Riwa village in Mandir Hasaud of Raipur district.

The Centre had said in March that a total of 436 personnel of paramilitary forces Central Armed Police Forces, National Security Guard and Assam Rifles died by suicide in the last three years. The Border Security Force had reported 111 suicides in this period.