A few days after a CRPF officer shot down 4 jawans, a video confession of the officer has gone viral where the officer claimed that his fellow jawans used to call his wife ‘kacchi kali’ and other derogatory names. In the video, the accused Reetesh Ranjan claimed that he killed his fellow officers as he was frustrated by the harassment he faced.
The video now gone viral, showed the CRPF officer answering a line of questioning in which he admitted to killing his 4 fellow officers with his service-arm. The accused officer was tied and was sitting on the ground. The accused officer also claimed that he was harassed by his fellow officers who had planned to eliminate him.
Background
Every Indian has been born and brought up on a hefty diet of patriotism and love for the nation. Since childhood, we have seen films and shows where army men have brought glory to the nation and have sacrificed their lives for our safety. In our history books, we have read about different wars where troops were called to arm to resist threats.
While the life of these army men can be seen full of guts and glory, there’s a different side to it. Like every place of work, security forces too have cases of harassment, bullying and abuse. In 2018, it was reported that just between 2015-17, at least a dozen women from army, navy and air force complained of sexual harassment.
It’s not just women who face turbulent moments while they are serving the nation. A recent incident with a CRPF officer sheds light on the extent of harassment in security forces in India.
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The Facts of the Matter
On November 8, a CRPF officer named Reetesh Ranjan opened fire at his fellow CRPF officers, killing 4 jawans and injuring 3 others. The incident happened earlier on Monday at about 3:15 AM at a CRPF camp in Sukma district. Reportedly, the accused used his service weapon, an AK-47, at the 50th Battalion of CRPF that falls under the Maraiguda police station.
A few days after the incident, two video footages have been released on Twitter in which the accused can be heard confessing to the crime he committed. The accused, who appeared looking stressed and in some form of mental anxiety, claimed that he was frustrated by the constant harassment he faced.
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In one video, the accused looked to be in an abbreviated state or in a state where he wasn’t able to communicate well. Sitting crossed legged, the accused said “AK-47”, to which in the background someone tells that it was the arm issued to him.
The person interrogating then asks why the accused opened fire on his fellow officers. To this the accused asked that the Facebook accounts of officers around him must be checked as there were a lot of comments made on the social media platform. The accused said that the fellow officers called his wife ‘Kacchi Kali’, and made other derogatory remarks against her.
Officers Were Planning to ‘Eliminate’ Reetesh
When the interrogator asked the accused whether he woke up at around 3-3.30 AM to open fire at his fellow officers, the accused made a startling claim. CRPF officer Reetesh claimed that his fellow officers were planning to eliminate him the same evening.
#CRPF Reetesh Ranjan has alleged that he was being troubled by his fellow mates. He also said some of them were planning to take him out.
Now the question is what is being done to help jawans like Reetesh before they commit suicide or Fratricide. #sukma #fratricide@TheQuint pic.twitter.com/9DFI53eaDO
— vishnukant tiwari (@vishnukant_7) November 10, 2021
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“Some abused, some called wife names”: CRPF Officer’s Second Confession Video
In another video of the similar nature, accused Reetesh Ranjan can be seen sitting on a wooden ledge with his hands tied behind his back. “Yes, I opened fire. Someone abused me, someone used to call my wife ‘kacchi kali’.”
When the accused was asked whether he made an official complaint, the man continued to ask that the Facebook accounts of fellow officers must be checked and an enquiry must be made.
— vishnukant tiwari (@vishnukant_7) November 10, 2021
