Chhattisgarh: CRPF man opens fire on colleagues, four killed
Four CRPF men were killed at Chhattisgarh's Basaguda camp when their colleague allegedly opened fire after a scuffle yesterday evening. Another was critically injured. He has been shifted to Raipur by chopper for treatment. Constable Samantha Kumar has been handed over to police as the incident is probed further. The issue brings to the fore the pressure of high-intensity work conditions on soldiers.
What happened?
According to The Hindu, at around 5pm yesterday, Kumar had a quarrel with ASI Gajanand. Afterwards, he opened fire at his colleagues with his INSAS rifle; other reports say it was an AK-47. Five got hit: Gajanand survived, but Senior Inspector Vikey Sharma, Inspector Megh Singh, ASI Rajveer Singh and constable Sankara Rao were killed on the spot.
Visuals from the spot
Alarmingly high number of suicides, fratricides in the army
There's a much higher number of suicides/fratricides in the army than navy/air force, a DIPR study found. The government initiated several measures, including prompt attendance of grievances at unit level; better accessibility to leaders; and deployment of trained counselors. However, there hasn't been much improvement: 2016 saw 101 suicides in army, more than the 78 in 2015, 84 in 2014 and 86 in 2013.
