Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel committed suicide by shooting himself dead with his service riffle at his unit in Pantha Chowk area of Srinagar, officials said today.
CRPF spokesman in Srinagar said, “A CRPF personnel posted at 29 battalion F-Coy at Pathan Chowk area of Srinagar, identified as Biswajit Dutta, fired at himself with his service riffle in a bathroom. He died on the spot.”
The spokesman added that his colleagues rushed to the spot to take Biswajit to the hospital, but he succumbed.
“An inquiry has been ordered to find out the reason that led him to take this extreme step,” the spokesman said.
Today’s incident comes just three days after a CRPF man posted at a hotel in Dalgate area of Srinagar accidentally shot himself with his service riffle. He was critically injured and is battling for life at Army’s 92 base hospital in Srinagar.
On July 6, two Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) men were killed in a fratricidal incident in a court complex in Kulgam district of south Kashmir. The duo had resorted to an argument before shooting themselves dead with their services riffles.
Earlier on May 12, two CRPF personnel committed suicide by shooting themselves with their service rifles in two separate incidents at south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
On the same day, a CRPF Assistant Sub-Inspector, Bengali Babu, committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle at his 49th battalion camp in Srinagar. Furthermore, on March 21, a CRPF man posted outside Civil Secretariat Srinagar, had committed suicide by shooting himself with his service riffle.
The rise in suicide cases among CRPF men has, however been directly linked with the prevailing pandemic as it is evident by the suicide notes left by a couple of CRPF men who took extreme step. A suicide note of one of the CRPF men who shot himself dead read: “I am afraid, I may be Corona positive…. Better to die.”
A senior CRPF official told NVI that every incident is followed by an internal inquiry but one of the main reasons why “boys are taking extreme step” is that they are not able to go on leave and meet their families. “Back home, their families are worried too, which increases mental pressure for the boys on duty in Kashmir, which is a challenging place. Even though, regular counseling sessions are being given to the CRPF men in the morning and evening, still the level of pressure on their minds remains due to coronavirus outbreak,” he said.
-CHK
