SSB jawan posted along India-Nepal border in Sitamarhi shot at by colleague

BETTIAH: A Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) jawan posted along the India-Nepal border in Bihar’s Siramarhi district sustained injuries after being shot at by his colleague, the state police said on Monday.

Police said the incident took place at about 7am on Monday,.

A jawan of the 51st battalion of SSB, which was posted at Narkatiya border out post (BOP) in Sonbarsa block of Sitamarhi, opened the fire with a service rifle at another jawan after a dispute. “The injured jawan has been admitted to the local government hospital and the accused has been taken into custody,” Ram Krishna, deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Sitamarhi (headquarters) said.

A person familiar with the matter said the accused, Than Singh Meena, a resident of Rajasthan, was in the outpost’s barrack when he had an argument with Dharmendra Kumar Jolijo, 33, a resident of Jharkhand.

“A gun shot was heard at around 7am. When the other jawans rushed to the spot, they found Jolijo writhing in pain and bleeding profusely,” said the person who asked not to be identified.

Citing the doctor’s statement, DSP Ram Krishna said the victim suffered a bullet injury on his left thigh. “It has come to the fore that the accused fired with INSAS rifle over some dispute between the two,” Krishna said.

Ranjan Kumar Srivastava, commandant of SSB’s 51st battalion, refused to comment on the incident.