Police constable shoots self in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: A police constable attached to the Coimbatore city armed reserve police attempted suicide by shooting himself with a self-loading rifle (SLR).
Doctors in a private hospital -- where constable Kalimuthu, 29, was admitted to -- told police officers that one of his kidneys was damaged after the bullet pierced it. He was battling for life. Doctors said they could declare his health condition only after 48 hours.
Kalimuthu, a native of Virudhunagar district, was deployed for guard duty at the police stall a government-organised exhibition in Gandhipuran. More than 32 government departments opened their stalls to showcase their schemes. The city police displayed its weapons in the stall where Kalimuthu was on duty.
On Friday afternoon, he was alone at the stall for duty. Around 3.40pm, he shot himself with an SLR. The bullet pierced his right side abdomen and exited through the back. He was found in a pool of blood.
A forest department staff member, who was sitting in the next stall, alerted police and informed 108 ambulance service.
Coimbatore city police commissioner V Balakrishnan and other officials rushed to the hospital and talked to him. Kalimuthu was taken to the operation theatre for surgery.
The reason for the suicide attempt was yet to be known, police said.