At least six paramilitary soldiers were killed
after one of the soldiers allegedly opened fire at his colleagues in
central India on Wednesday, officials said.
The incident took place at a camp of Indo-Tibetan Border Police in
the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh, among the states worst-hit
by a left-wing Maoist insurgency in India.
"The soldier opened fire at his colleagues in a fit of rage. An
exchange of fire followed and a total of six soldiers including the
attacker died. Two more are seriously injured," senior district
official Padum Sinh Alma said by phone.
Domestic media however reported that the soldier who had shot at five
of his colleagues later committed suicide by turning the gun on
himself.
The reason for the dispute was unclear.
It is suspected that the
soldier was upset at not getting leave, Alma said, adding that an
inquiry had been ordered.
Incidents of soldiers killing their colleagues are not uncommon in
India, particularly in areas like Kashmir and Chhattisgarh where the
forces are battling violent insurgencies.
In the past, such incidents of shootings and suicides by troops have
been blamed by officials on stress due to hostile conditions and long
separations from families.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police. File picture