A Kolkata policeman on Friday shot dead a woman and shot herself in the busy Park Circus area of the city.
Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goel said the personnel, identified as Chodup Lepcha, had joined the service only a year ago. The incident took place near Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in which two people were injured.
“We are probing whether that was the reason, whether there was some depressive tendencies. This is also a clear case of attempted suicide,” said Mr. Goyal.
There was a stir in the busy Park Circus area at 2:20 pm when the constable fired several rounds from his service weapon. People ran to save their lives. Locals said that the police personnel kept on firing for several minutes at a distance of few meters. “After shooting the woman, she pointed the gun at herself and opened fire,” said a local, adding that there was a huge commotion in the area. Locals say that had it not been for Friday, people would have gone for afternoon prayers, the casualties could have been higher.
The woman sitting behind on a mobile app-operated motorcycle died on the spot. The deceased woman has been identified as Reema Singha, a physiotherapist from Howrah. The woman was supporting her family with her earnings and was likely to get married in the next few months.
The constable had recently returned from leave and a video of him firing indiscriminately with his service weapon also surfaced on social media. Vehicles parked on the road were also hit by the bullets fired by them.
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