Four CRPF jawans were killed and another injured in sleep after their “mentally disturbed” colleague opened fire at them in the naxal-hit Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, police said.
“The shooting occurred last night at the camp of 111 CRPF Battalion in Aranpur area of the naxal-dominated district, when the constable Deep Kumar Tiwari opened fire on the jawans who were sleeping,” Dantewada SP Narendra Khare told reporters in Raipur.
Inspector General, CRPF, Zulfiqar Hasan said a court of inquiry has been initiated into the case.
While three jawans died on the spot, one succumbed while being taken to hospital, Mr Khare said, adding that the injured trooper has been air-lifted to Raipur and admitted to MMI hospital here.
The exact cause of the shooting was being ascertained even as the preliminary investigation indicated that the accused constable had been going through some “mental problems”, the SP said.
Those killed have been identified as - head constable Chandan Singh (45) from Gujarat, constable Ramesh Kumar (29) from Haryana, constable Aniruddh Kumar (24) from UP and constable Purushottam Lal Sahu (29) from Raipur.
The injured trooper has been identified as head constable Sunil Sawant, a resident of Maharashtra.
The 30-year-old accused, hailing from Lucknow, was arrested and further probes are on, Mr Khare added.
