BANGALORE: In the first fragging incident for Bangalore police , a constable gunned down his batchmate-turned-boss at the Rajanukunte police station at the city’s outskirts on Sunday morning. Constable Ananth Kumar (47) had an altercation with sub-inspector BS Vijay Kumar (39) around 9am in the police station after he was posted for sentry duty for the day. The station is located on Doddaballapur main road, near Yelahanka.

Pacified by his colleagues, Ananth returned to his seat outside Vijay’s chambers. Two hours later, Ananth barged into his officer’s chamber with his service firearm— a .303 Enfield rifle—took aim and fired three bullets at his boss. One bullet pierced Vijay’s chest, the second hit his upper chest and the third struck his neck and exited through his head. Vijay slumped on the table.

A mechanic at a nearby garage, who had been summoned to the station to check chassis and engine numbers of seized vehicles, said: “Constable Sunil had summoned me. I walked into the station and saw Ananth sitting in front of the SI’s office. My helper and I were checking the numbers of the vehicles when I heard a loud sound. I thought something had fallen. Two more bangs followed. The station cleaner shouted that the officer had been shot. We all ran inside. A policeman, Devaraj, asked me to help take the sub-inspector to the hospital. When I went inside the chamber, Vijay Kumar lay face down on the table. We took him out and put him in the jeep.” His colleagues overpowered Ananth and recovered the rifle. Vijay was declared brought dead at the Yelahanka government hospital. Senior officers took the constable to an undisclosed destination for interrogation.

Ananth and Vijay joined the police department together as constables in 1996. Vijay climbed the ladder fast; Ananth remained a constable. Vijay Kumar was posted at Rajanukunte police station in December 2012. Senior police officers attributed the incident to displeasure over duty allocation. “Ananth was on night duty on Friday. On Saturday, he was deployed for Republic Day security arrangements. When he was put on sentry duty again on Sunday, he lost his cool and opened fire on his officer,” said Amar Kumar Pandey, IGP (Southern Range).

A veil of disbelief hung over Rajanukunte police station, hours after a constable allegedly gunned down his batchmate-turned-boss on Sunday.

With the station chief dead and his alleged killer in police custody, the station’s rolls have only three men now. They were relieved of their duties and were subjected to investigation, while a Karnataka State Reserve Police platoon and senior officers of Bangalore Rural police took charge of the station.

Inspector General of Police (South) Amar Kumar Pandey did not confirm if the constable, Ananth Kumar, confessed to shooting his superior, Vijay Kumar.

Ananth is a resident of police quarters next to the Rajanukunte station, while Vijay was a resident of Babusab Palya, East Bangalore.

Police sources, however, said there is no eyewitness to Ananth shooting dead his officer. “But circumstantial evidence and the very fact that the rifle was found with him with three bullets used, makes it a clear case of murder. At this point, we don’t want to reveal further details on the interrogation,” the officer said.

It’s a matter of time before forensic evidence too nails the constable, he added.

The slain officer and his alleged killer joined the police department in 1996 as constables. Vijay worked as a traffic constable with the Ulsoor traffic police station for 10 years, before being promoted as head constable and transferred to Bescom.

In 2010, he was selected for the post of sub-inspector. After a year’s training in Gulbarga and probation in Bellary and Ramanagaram districts, Vijay got independent charge as sub-inspector of Rajanukunte station in December 2012.

Officers were not forthcoming on Ananth’s background. He was posted at Rajanukunte station for some years.

Pandey said incidents of indiscipline had come to his notice about Ananth. However, after the shooting, officers have been speaking of Ananth trading words with his bosses while in Chikmagalur district, Pandey added.