A Border Security Force (BSF) head constable, identified as Prem Kumar, 44, allegedly shot himself with his service rifle while on duty at the Deopur observatory under the Steamerghat Border Outpost in Assam’s Sribhumi district on Saturday evening. Kumar was a member of the 171 Battalion operating under the Mizoram and Cachar Frontier.
Fellow personnel at the observatory heard a gunshot and found Kumar with fatal injuries; he was declared dead at the scene. Preliminary inquiries by BSF sources indicate he used his service weapon, but investigators have not confirmed the motive or whether a suicide note was recovered.
Local police and BSF authorities have launched separate investigations. The body was recovered in the presence of an executive magistrate and taken to Sribhumi civil hospital for an autopsy, officials said.
Senior BSF officers, including the commandant of the 171 Battalion from the force headquarters at Masimpur, visited the outpost to review the circumstances and oversee the inquiry. The force has said it is conducting a detailed probe to establish the sequence of events and any lapses in procedure.
Colleagues at the outpost told investigators that Kumar had appeared normal during the day and had performed his duties as usual, with no obvious signs of distress noted before the incident. His body was sent to his native place in Punjab on Sunday; he is survived by family members there.
The incident has raised questions about soldier welfare and weapon safety on border duty, and officials have stressed that the ongoing inquiries will determine whether any systemic issues or personal factors contributed to the tragedy.
Original Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/on-duty-bsf-head-constable-dies-by-suicide-at-border-outpost-in-sribhumi/articleshow/131727628.cms
Category:
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-06-15 01:00:00
