BSF jawan shoots himself dead with service weapon in Chhattisgarh

A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service weapon in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, police said. The incident took place in the early hours at a forest in Pankhanjore police station area, police said.

"The deceased jawan, identified as Head Constable Suresh Kumar, was returning along with his colleagues after an anti-Naxal operation," a senior police official told PTI.

A team of BSF's 157th battalion had launched the operation on Friday from its camp in Sangam village, he said. On the way back, Kumar allegedly shot himself with his AK-47 rifle between Ghoda and Dotameta villages, around 200 meters ahead of the camp, and died on the spot, he said.

What prompted him to take the extreme step is being ascertained, he added. On Friday, an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of the same 157th battalion had tested positive for COVID-19 in Bhilai town of Durg district. The ASI was kept in a quarantine centre set up by the paramilitary forces in Bhilai after he returned from his hometown in Uttar Pradesh following his leave. The Frontier Headquarters of the BSF, which is extensively deployed in Kanker for anti-Maoist operations, is located in Bhilai. Security forces who are returning from other states are being quarantined before being allowed to join the duty.