A BSF jawan shot and killed his senior colleague in Dhulian, Murshidabad, on Saturday night, allegedly after being denied leave to visit his pregnant wife and losing contact with her owing to a damaged smartphone.
“Emotionally overwrought” BSF jawan Shivam Kumar Mishra, 29, failed to digest a remark by colleague Ratan Singh, 50, that apparently made fun of his situation.
Mishra pumped 13 bullets into Singh at point-blank range around 10.30pm.
The incident took place in Samserganj, where central paramilitary forces have been deployed since mid-April following communal unrest.
The victim, a constable with the 119th Battalion of the BSF, was from Rajasthan.
Police have arrested accused jawan Shivam Kumar Mishra of Chhattisgarh on murder charges.
Police sources said both jawans had been stationed in Dhulian since April 14, when the BSF’s 119 Battalion was deployed under Calcutta High Court orders.
Communal tension had flared in Samserganj’s Dhulian on April 11 and 12 during a protest against the Centre’s new Waqf Act. Three people died in the violence, prompting the high court to order paramilitary force deployment after local police failed to control the situation.
BSF personnel were housed at a promary school. Singh and Mishra were assigned to the adjacent ward 16 when the incident occurred.
Fellow jawans rushed to the spot to find Singh lying in a pool of blood, his lower body riddled with bullets. He was first taken to the Samserganj Block Hospital and then to the Jangipur Subdivision Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Mishra was produced in a Jangipur court on Sunday, which remanded him to seven days in police custody.
Mishra joined the BSF four years ago and married two years ago. His wife is expecting their first child.
Sources say Mishra repeatedly sought leave to be with his wife during her final stage of pregnancy, but his requests were turned down. His emotional turmoil deepened when his smartphone’s display broke recently, cutting off video calls. For two consecutive days, Mishra had been unable to see or speak to his wife, which reportedly left him distressed.
Jangipur SP Amit Kumar Shaw said: “The police have started a murder case against the accused.”
A psychologist said the incident reflected “a grim and often overlooked reality” of the paramilitary forces. “Despite extreme working conditions and long postings far from home, many jawans face bureaucratic hurdles in availing leave, especially during critical personal or family emergencies. This, compounded by isolation and emotional fatigue, can take a heavy psychological toll. The incident underscores the need for more proactive mental health support mechanisms and sensitive leave policies,” he said.
