Ranchi: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) havildar died on Sunday after sustaining a gunshot wound from his service rifle at a camp in Ranchi. Police are examining whether the discharge was intentional or accidental.
The incident occurred at the CRPF camp in Tiril, falling under the jurisdiction of the Vidhan Sabha police station. The deceased has been identified as Bhuvneshwar Pal, a resident of Imliyatikar village in Palamu district. He was originally from the Haidarnagar police station area in the Hussainabad subdivision of Palamu and was posted at the Tiril camp as a havildar.
According to police, Pal was on duty when he suffered a gunshot injury to the neck. The wound caused severe blood loss, and he died at the scene. Camp personnel reported the shooting, after which local police and senior CRPF officers arrived at the site. A forensic team was summoned to collect evidence.
Vidhan Sabha police station in-charge Dinesh Thakur said investigators have not yet determined the circumstances. “We are investigating if it was a suicide or he shot himself accidentally,” Thakur stated. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Further inquiries are under way, including an assessment of possible personal or family-related factors, though no motive has been confirmed.
English-language agency reports have described the death in cautious terms as an alleged gunshot injury from the service weapon while Pal was on duty. Some Hindi-language accounts have characterised the incident as self-inflicted. Officials have not issued a final determination pending autopsy findings and the ongoing probe.
The case remains under joint examination by Ranchi police and CRPF authorities. No additional official statement on the precise time of the shooting, the condition of the weapon, or any prior indication of distress had been released at the time of reporting.
