Bijapur: A head constable of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) died after he allegedly shot himself with his service weapon in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police said on Friday. The incident took place on Thursday at the headquarters of CRPF’s 199th battalion in Bhairamgarh, a police official said here. CRPF is engaged in operations against Naxals in the state.

Head Constable Pavan Kumar turned his AK-47 rifle on himself when he was posted on a watch tower. Hearing gunshots, his colleagues rushed there and he was shifted to a community health centre where a doctor declared him dead, he said.

No suicide note was found on Kumar and an investigation is underway to ascertain what prompted him to take the extreme step, he added. After post-mortem, his mortal remains were sent to his native place in Rewari in Haryana, the official added. This is the seventh suicide by a trooper in the last five months in the state.

On October 18, a jawan of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) allegedly shot himself dead with his service weapon during security duty at a coal mine in Korba district. On September 14, a 44-year-old CRPF head constable took his own life at his unit’s camp in Sukma district.

A constable of the Sashastra Seema Bal allegedly took the extreme step in Kanker district on September 3, while another SSB jawan died by suicide on August 27 in Durg district. On August 26, a CRPF head constable allegedly turned his service rifle on himself in Dantewada district and a jawan of the Border Security Force (BSF) died in a similar manner in Kanker on June 20. CRPF, BSF and SSB are deployed in the state for anti-Naxalite operations.