Bihar DSP’s picnic in Jharkhand ends with his arrest after friend ‘gets shot’

A deputy superintendent of police (DSP), who had joined the Bihar Police earlier this year and was still on probation, has been arrested along with two of his associates by the Jharkahnd Police after a friend of his was killed on Friday by a bullet fired from his service revolver while they were picnicking near Tilaiya Dam in Koderma district, the police said

A deputy superintendent of police (DSP), who had joined the Bihar Police earlier this year and was still on probation, has been arrested along with two of his associates by the Jharkahnd Police after a friend of his was killed on Friday by a bullet fired from his service revolver while they were picnicking near Tilaiya Dam in Koderma district, the police said.

HT Image

The deceased, Nikhil Ranjan, is son of police sub-inspector Rishideo Singh, who has filed an FIR (first information report) alleging he was killed by probationer DSP Ashutosh Kumar over a money dispute. Singh is currently posted in Gaya.

According to Koderma police, Ashutosh Kumar, currently posted with Brahmpur police station in Buxar district of Bihar, along with two of his friends from Patna, Nikhil Ranjan and Sourabh Kumar, had gone to Tilaiya Dam, where he was joined by one Suraj Yadav (from Koderma).

Soni Pratap, station house officer (SHO) of Chandwara police station under whose jurisdiction the incident took place, said Ashutosh has claimed Sourabh took his service revolver to shoot a photo when the gun went off and the bullet hit Nikhil Ranjan in chest. He was rushed to a private clinic in nearby town of Jhumri Tilaiya where he was pronounced dead.

On Saturday, a police team led by Koderma superintendent of police Dr Ehtesham Waquarib visited the spot and recovered an empty liquor bottle, the police said, adding that blood samples of all three arrested have been sent for tests for alcohol consumption.

DSP Sanjeev Kumar Singh of Koderma police said they were probing if the accused fired the bullet at the victim or it was an accident. The pistol has been sent for forensic tests, he said.

Police said preliminary investigations showed that Ashutosh, while showing his revolver to his friends, accidentally pulled the trigger. They said he then tried to cover up the incident, but a police team brought the body to Koderma Sadar Hospital from the private clinic.

Meanwhile Buxar superintendent of police Niraj Kumar Singh said the probationer DSP is a resident of Rohtas and was attached with Brahmpur circle inspector for training. He said they are probing how he went outside the state carrying with service revolver. “If any official is on leave, he or she has to deposit the service revolver in armoury,” he said.

Ashutosh is the DSP of 56-59 batch of Bihar Public Service Commission and joined in Bihar Police after completing his training in February 2021.