A horrifying fratricide incident unfolded in the northeastern Indian state of Assam on Tuesday morning after an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) opened fire on his colleagues, killing two personnel and injuring another before ending his own life. The deadly shooting occurred around 7:30 AM within the premises of the 34th Battalion CRPF camp in Katimari, located in Assam’s Nagaon district.
According to official updates provided by Nagaon Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Paramita Sarkar and local police officials, the shooter was identified as ASI/GD Ballani Premabaram, a native of Andhra Pradesh. On Tuesday morning, Premabaram was stationed on duty at the primary entrance gate of the military facility. However, reports indicate he was unequipped with an assigned firearm at the time, as he had reportedly been struggling with depression.
The sequence of events escalated rapidly when Premabaram walked into the guardroom, seized an INSAS service rifle without authorization, and moved toward the rear section of the quarter guard. Without warning, he opened fire on Head Constable (HV/GD) Vishnu Prasad Baghel. He then turned the weapon toward Sub-Inspector (SI/GD) Ramnawal Singh Yadav, who had traveled to the Nagaon camp from Lucknow for official document verification. Both personnel suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
Emergency Response and Ongoing Investigation
Continuing his shooting spree, the perpetrator fired at another colleague, identified as ASI Mane Govind Sripul of the 171 Battalion, inflicting critical injuries. Following the attack, Premabaram walked into the camp’s barracks and turned the INSAS rifle on himself, dying immediately on the spot from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The injured officer, Govind Sripul, was rushed by camp authorities to a local medical center in Nagaon for emergency treatment. As his condition remained critical, medical personnel subsequently transferred him to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for specialized surgical care.
High-ranking CRPF officials and Nagaon police leadership, including Senior Superintendent of Police Partha Pratim Das and Additional SP Abotani Doley, promptly arrived at the Katimari camp to secure the scene and initiate formal inquiries. While preliminary police assessments point toward acute mental distress, senior military and police authorities confirmed that a comprehensive inquiry has been ordered to determine the exact circumstances and triggers behind the tragedy.
