Viral video shows DSP shooting himself suddenly

FARIDKOT/ BATHINDA: A Punjab police DSP posted at Jaito in Faridkot shot himself in the head with his service revolver on Monday in the midst of mediating between two groups of feuding students. DSP Baljinder Singh Sandhu , 50, had gone to the Punjabi University regional centre to pacify protesting students and shot himself while he was surrounded by a large number of students.Police officials have booked unidentified students for abetting the suicide as they believe that the students provoked the police officer into shooting himself. Bathinda zone IG M S Chhina said, “Activists of Inquilabi Vidyarthi Manch accused the police of favouring students who were trying to disrupt their protest. Upset with the allegation and unable to take the stress, the officer shot himself.”Faidkot SSP Nanak Singh said, “We are making efforts to identify the students who led the protest as well as those who were trying to disrupt the gathering. No arrest has been made as yet.”A video, apparently made by one of the students, shows that the protests become vociferous all of a sudden. Some of the students even shout, “Azadi, azadi,” and surround Sandhu who has pulled out his service revolver. Amid the slogan-shouting, Sandhu suddenly puts the gun to his temple and shoots himself.Senior police officials told TOI that Sandhu had gone to the site of the protest as Inqulabi Naujawan Vidyarthi Manch refused to end their protest. The protest had started after some students were alleged harassed by cops at the Jaito bus stand on January 23 for no apparent reason. While the protest was on, another group of students arrived on the spot and tried to disrupt the gathering.Sandhu is seen trying to keep the two groups away from each other but then he suddenly shoots himself. The bullet passed through Sandhu’s head and hit his gunman Lal Singh near the eye. The cops accompanying Sandhu and the gunman rushed them to Guru Gobind Singh medical college at Faridkot where Sandhu was declared dead on arrival.The students were taken aback when the cop shot himself and quickly dispersed. Sandhu had joined the Punjab police in 1992 as an assistant sub inspector and had been promoted as DSP.