Ahmedabad: A Border Security Force (BSF) Assistant Sub-Inspector was detained after he allegedly opened fire during a family meeting over the division of an ancestral house, injuring his cousin in the thigh, police said.
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. on Sunday near Takshshila (Takshila) Cross Road in the Vastral–Ramol area. Relatives of the Prajapati family had gathered to resolve a long-standing dispute over an old family house. An argument escalated, after which 46-year-old Pramod Ram Prasad Shiv Dayal Prajapati, serving as an Assistant Sub-Inspector in the BSF, allegedly drew a licensed firearm and fired.
The bullet struck 54-year-old Rajeshbhai Harishankarbhai Prajapati, a retired Army personnel and cousin of the accused, in the thigh. He was rushed to hospital by ambulance. Police and hospital accounts indicate his condition was not critical and that he was receiving treatment. No other injuries were reported among those present.
According to Ramol police, three brothers—Pramod, Pawan and Ashish Prajapati—had assembled with other relatives, including cousins and members of Ashish’s in-laws’ family, to discuss a settlement. Pramod and Pawan both serve in the BSF. The property dispute had reportedly continued for several months. Discussions turned into a heated exchange before the alleged firing. Some reports state that two rounds were discharged from a licensed pistol or 12-bore firearm.
The sound of gunfire caused panic in the locality. Senior officers, including Sector-2 Joint Commissioner of Police Jaipalsinh Rathod, and a team from Ramol police station reached the spot. Police detained Pramod Prajapati and seized the weapon used in the incident. Other persons present at the meeting were also taken for questioning.
Ramol police inspector V.D. Mori confirmed that the accused and the firearm had been taken into custody and that Rajesh Prajapati had been shifted to hospital after being hit in the thigh. Police registered a case and initiated an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting. Legal proceedings were under way at the time of the latest reports.
The matter remains under investigation. Police are examining witness accounts and the sequence of events that led a family reconciliation meeting to turn violent.
