A 40-year-old armed police jawan was killed in an "accidental firing" from his service rifle in Ranchi on Sunday morning.

The incident took place at Rahe outpost under Bundu police station, 40km from the capital city, around 8.30am when Suraj Kumar Shah - a native of Bagbera in Jamshedpur - was cleaning his firearm but allegedly with the safety lock open.

A local source said Shah pulled the trigger "unmindful that the safety catch was not locked" and a bullet went through his head, killing him on the spot. "The gunshot blew his brains out. He was beyond help," the source said.

Rural SP Raj Kumar Lakra confirmed that Shah died in an accidental firing.

"The jawan had joined the armed police in Ranchi in 2005 as a constable and was an experienced hand. It was very unlikely for a policeman like him to commit such a mistake (pulling the trigger with the safety catch open). He was perhaps preoccupied with something. It is a case of accidental firing (because we have no reason to suspect otherwise)," Lakra said.

Shah's body has been sent for post-mortem to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Bariatu. His service rifle has been taken into custody for ballistic examination at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Namkum. But, first it will be examined at the Police Lines.