SRPF jawan dies of snakebite in Gadchiroli camp

The deceased was identified as Police Naik Rahul Prabhakar Shingare, 37, attached to the ‘F’ company of SRPF Group No 6, based in Dhule

NAGPUR: A State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) jawan deployed for anti-Maoist operations in Gadchiroli district died on Tuesday evening after being bitten by a venomous snake at a camp in Regadi in Chamorshi taluka.

The deceased was identified as Police Naik Rahul Prabhakar Shingare, 37, attached to the ‘F’ company of SRPF Group No 6, based in Dhule.

The death comes nearly two months after three tribal girls died of snakebite while sleeping on the floor at a residential ashram school in Gadchiroli in August, triggering protests and concerns over the safety of students living in such schools.

According to police officers, the SRPF company had been deployed to Gadchiroli about a month and a half ago, with its personnel accommodated near the Regadi Police Aid Centre. On Tuesday, around 11 am, Shingare went to take a bath near a large water tank in the camp when a venomous snake bit his hand.

Fellow jawans and officers immediately rushed him to the Chamorshi Rural Hospital, located 40 km away. As his condition deteriorated, he was then transferred to the District General Hospital in Gadchiroli, where he died during treatment later that evening.

“A condolence salute was accorded at the police drill ground in Gadchiroli, where three rounds were fired in the air as part of state honours. Senior police officers, SRPF officers, and fellow jawans were present to pay their respects,” said Gadchiroli superintendent of police M Ramesh.

After an autopsy and completion of other legal formalities, Shingare’s body was handed over to his family for the final rites.

Weapons recovered

In a separate operation on Tuesday, the Gadchiroli police and security forces recovered and destroyed a large cache of buried weapons, explosives, and Maoist material in the Koparshi forest area near the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.

The seized materials included a .303 rifle, two single-shot rifles, two country-made pistols, one Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL), live cartridges, detonators, walkie-talkies, and Maoist literature, officials said.