LS: Congress raises fratricidal killing of ITBP personnel

Raising the killing of five ITBP personnel by a jawan who later shot himself in Chhattisgarh, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday asked the Centre about the reason for such tension in paramilitary personnel, suggesting the government take advice from the Indian Navy and Air Force where "no such incidents happen".

Chowdhury raised the issue in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour.

"This is a very serious issue. In an internal fight in an ITBP camp in Chhatisgarh's Narayanpur district, six personnel of the paramilitary force were killed on Wednesday. One of the ITBP troopers shot seven of his colleagues in which five died and two were seriously injured. The personnel later killed himself," Chowdhury said.

The Congress MP asked: "Why such internal fights among paramilitary force personnel have been increasing? It does not occur in Navy and Air Force. Such incidents occur in the Army but the number is less. But such incidents are increasing in the paramilitary forces."

Raising questions over the Centre, Chowdhury said "it might be a lack of environment and facilities that they need. There may be some other deficiencies. Otherwise such incidents would not have occurred."

The lawmaker suggested that such personnel should be provided "psychological assistance" in every paramilitary camp "because it is a very sad thing that the personnel who leave their houses to save the country are facing such tension and they are shooting their own colleagues".

"This matter should be taken very seriously."

"If such incidents do not occur in Navy and Air Force, why the government does not take advice from them so that such incidents would not occur in the future. At least our troopers should not be killed in internal fights."

ITBP constable Masudul Rahman, a resident of Nadia in West Bengal, grabbed a colleague's AK-47 on Wednesday morning and started firing in Narayanpur camp of the paramilitary force's 45 Battalion located in a deep forest region, killing five and injuring two.

Authorities are yet to figure out the exact cause of the incident but initial reports suggest that Rahman -- a bachelor -- hadn't taken leave last year.

He was asked to take a break as he had been on duty for a year. He was packing his luggage along with four other colleagues, when the incident occurred.IANS