A 44-year-old retired Border Security Force (BSF) official allegedly shot his wife early on Tuesday morning in south-west Delhi’s Chhawala area after the two got into an argument over a personal issue. The accused, identified as Devanand, has been arrested by the police. The victim is currently undergoing treatment at Safdarjung hospital.
The accused, a resident of a rented house in Sarika Vihar, used a double barreled licensed gun to shoot his wife Sunita (40) once in the stomach after which he called the police himself to inform them of the crime. “We got a call from the accused and a neighbour. When we reached, he was standing near his house and was picked up from there. During questioning, he confessed to shooting her,” said a senior police officer.
‘Couple fought often’
Sunita was first taken to Vijay Hospital in Najafgarh which referred the case to Safdarjung Hospital. “She was operated upon. She still has some residue inside her body which the doctors say is not harmful but her condition is critical,” said a person close to the family who did not wish to be named.
The police said that Devanand had retired from the BSF 10 years ago and often used to fight with his wife after consuming alcohol. “He was a regular drinker and the husband and wife had a strained relationship because of it. In fact, he was kicked out of BSF in 2008 because he used to drink on duty. He could never be promoted because of his drinking problem,” alleged a family member.
Bottled up anger
The police said that on the night of the incident, he wasn’t inebriated but acted out of bottled up anger. “He hadn’t consumed alcohol when we reached in the morning. He told us that they had been fighting for years and she hadn’t given him food for the last three years,” said the official.
The family member told The Hindu that he hadn’t been working for a while now because allegedly no employer could keep him for long. “Relatives, including myself and his brother, helped him get several jobs with private companies but employers used to ask him to leave because of his behaviour,” he said.
The police said that he has no remorse for shooting his wife. “He is not sorry for what he did. A case against him under section 307 (attempt to murder) has been registered,” said the official. The victim and accused have two children — a 10-year-old son and a 15-year-old daughter — who study in a government school.
