BSF Woman Constable Dies After Being Hit by Bullet From Her Service Rifle in Jammu
A woman constable of the Border Security Force (BSF) died on Wednesday after being hit by a bullet from her service rifle while on duty along the India-Pakistan International Border in Jammu, officials and hospital sources said.
The personnel has been identified as Rajlakshmi, a native of Tamil Nadu, who was posted with the 7th Battalion of the BSF at the Sushil Border Out Post.
According to hospital sources, she sustained a bullet injury to the chest. She was first taken to the Sub District Hospital in R.S. Pura, where she received first aid, and later referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu, where she died of her injuries.
Preliminary inputs suggest that the bullet was fired from her own service weapon. It has not yet been established whether the firing was accidental, deliberate, or occurred in any other manner. The BSF has not issued an official statement on the incident so far.
The incident took place while Rajlakshmi was on duty at the border out post, sources said. Security agencies have begun an inquiry into what happened. Such investigations ordinarily examine the circumstances of duty at the time, the condition of the weapon, statements from colleagues at the post, and forensic and medical findings. A post-mortem examination is part of standard procedure in cases of this nature.
The BSF, raised in 1965, is India's primary border-guarding force. It mans long stretches of the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders and, along with the Army and the police, is responsible for security in the border belts of the Jammu region. Border out posts such as Sushil are among the smallest units of this deployment, staffed by small teams that keep watch around the clock.
Sushil Border Out Post is located in the R.S. Pura sector of Jammu district, part of the International Border that separates India and Pakistan. The sector is one of several along the border where BSF units maintain a continuous presence.
Officials said the sequence of events and the reason for the firing will be determined by the inquiry, which will also establish whether any procedural lapse occurred. The death of a serving personnel on duty is examined closely by both the force and the civil administration, and the district authorities are kept informed of developments.
No details of Rajlakshmi's service record or the length of her posting at Sushil have been released. This report will be updated if and when official information is made available.
In recent years, security establishments have broadened mental health support for personnel, including counselling services within units and access to the national Tele-MANAS helpline.
If you or someone you know is in distress, support is available. Tele-MANAS, the national tele-mental health programme, can be reached on 14416 or 1-800-891-4416, and AASRA on 9820466726. These services are free and confidential.
