Three killed as RPF constable opens fire at family of five in Ranchi

Three members of a family, including a pregnant woman, were killed while two others were injured when a Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable opened fire on them in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district, police said on Sunday.

Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Patratu, Prakash Chandra Mahto said Ashok Ram and his wife Leela Devi died on the spot while his pregnant daughter Meena Devi was declared dead in the hospital. Ram’s another daughter Suman and son Chintu are undergoing treatment.

Ram, a railway cleanliness worker, resided with his family in the railway barrack quarters under Barkakana police station area. RPF constable Pawan Kumar is posted at Barkakana junction of the East Central Railway (ECR), Mahto added.

An eyewitness told police that Ram’s family was into milk business and Kumar is one of their customers. “The constable used to come at Ram’s residence daily to purchase milk. He was not given milk on Saturday due to outstanding payments. Angered at being denied milk, Kumar started firing indiscriminately,” the eyewitness said.

Mahto, however, said milk could not be the only reason. “We suspect other disputes too. The constable was issued a service revolver for duty three days back. But, he entered Ram’s house with the revolver and fired indiscriminately. This creates suspicion of a planned motive. Probe is on.”

The constable has been suspended from his post with immediate effect, RPF officials said.

Meanwhile, angry local residents blocked the Ramgarh-Ranchi via Pithoria highway Sunday demanding arrest of the accused.

First Published: Aug 19, 2019 00:41 IST