In Jharkhand, RPF constable kills 3 of family after dispute over milk: Police

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Updated: Aug 18, 2019 15:42 IST

A Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable allegedly shot five members of a railway worker’s family over denial of milk at Station Colony in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district on Saturday night.

Three members, including a pregnant woman, died while two others suffered injuries in the incident, police said.

The deceased were identified as Ashok Ram, his wife Leela Devi and his pregnant daughter Meena Devi.

Ram’s other daughter Suman and son Chintu have been admitted to a hospital in Ranchi and are undergoing treatment, said sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Patratu, Prakash Chandra Mahto.

As locals heard the sound of firing, they gathered at Ram’s residence but Pawan Kumar, the RPF constable, had managed to escape by then. The locals then informed the police.

Ram was a railway cleanliness worker at Bhurkunda, while his wife Leela was also a sanitation worker on contract at the district collectorate.

Kumar used to come to Ram’s place daily to buy milk. However, on Saturday when he was denied milk over non-payment for long time, Kumar took out his revolver and started firing indiscriminately, Suman told police.

The SDPO suspects it was a planned murder and that the two parties were involved in more disputes. “The constable was issued a service revolver for duty three days back. But, he enters Ashok’s house with the revolver and fires indiscriminately. This creates suspicion of a planned motive,” Mahto said.

However, anything can be ascertained only after the investigation is completed, he said.

According to police, separate teams have been set up to nab the constable, who hails from Bihar’s Bhojpur.

The RPF constable posted in Barkakana has suspended with immediate effect, RPF officials said.

Meanwhile, irate local residents put up a road blockade on Ramgarh-Patratu main road on Sunday morning demanding immediate arrest of the constable. They burnt tyres on the road and didn’t let any vehicle to ply. Police reached the spot to clear the traffic movement.