RPF jawan suffers bullet injury at ticket office

Kolkata: A Railway Protection Force (RPF) head constable was seriously injured by a bullet fired from a gun issued to a colleague when they were on duty at the ticket booking centre at New Koilaghat Building on Strand Road on Saturday morning.
Mrinmoy Ghosh suffered a neck injury and was taken to hospital where his condition has stabilized, say sources.Head constable Tarun Das, to whom the carbine was issued, has been suspended and faces a court of inquiry. "We are still not sure if Mrinmoy Ghosh shot himself or the gun went off by accident. Fortunately, only one shot was discharged. Had more shots been fired, even those who were at the building to book train tickets may have been hit," a senior RPF officer said.
Das and Md Jhulas were issued carbines to guard the cash at the passenger reservation counter while Ghosh was unarmed and on gate duty. Das allegedly approached Ghosh and handed over his loaded carbine, saying he had to go to the washroom. A shot was heard at 7.42am from the ground floor lobby and officials rushed over to find Ghosh collapsed on the ground. He was bleeding from the neck and the carbine lay at his feet. A single cartridge shell lay a few feet away.
"Kolkata Police have started an investigation and the carbine has been seized. It will be checked to find out whether there was any problem in the locking mechanism. Das has been suspended and a court of inquiry initiated by the railways. Ghosh is now stable and can communicate with doctors and senior officers. We are yet to ascertain how the carbine went off. It is true that 9mm carbines have had problems in the past with their locking mechanisms. There have been incidents when carbines have gone off after being dropped accidentally. However, how the weapon came to be pointed exactly at the neck is a mystery," an officer said.