CHENNAI: A 40-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel committed suicide by shooting himself in his tent on the Poonamallee court premises on Saturday. Police said Rajesh Kumar, a native of Haryana, who was posted at the CRPF’s 77th Battalion at Poonamallee since 2014 was found lying in a pool of blood. “Around 10.30 am, CRPF personnel alerted the authorities about hearing a gunshot,” said a CRPF official.
He was on a 24-hour duty from Friday 5 p.m. “He was supposed to guard the point given to him for two hours and then he would get four hours rest. After completing 24 hours, they get a day off. A tent is provided near the duty point for the guards to rest,” said a police officer. Police sources told Express that Rajesh Kumar shot himself with a 5.56mm rifle in his chin and preliminary investigation revealed that he spoke to his family in the morning.
“The officers rushed to the spot only to see the personnel lying in a pool of blood. After he was declared dead by a doctor, the body was taken to Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem,” the CRPF personnel said.
Pressure due to some family dispute is stated to be the reason for the tragedy. The personnel said they did not recover any suicide note from his tent. Sources said that autopsy would be done on Sunday, after which the body would be sent to his native place. His relatives have been informed. Rajesh Kumar is married to Sushila Devi and the couple have a son Piyush, studying in Standard VIII. Prior to his posting at Poonamallee, he was serving in Jammu and Kashmir.
