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Patna:
Manisha Kumari, a woman kabaddi player, was shot dead by a CRPF
trooper posted at a Patna stadium where she had been practicing
for the 34th National Games when she refused to give him her phone
number, police said Thursday. The trooper later turned the gun on
himself and is in a critical condition.
Manisha, a native of Himachal Pradesh in her early 20s, was a
member of the Bihar women's kabaddi team. She was allegedly killed
by CRPF trooper Jaswant Singh near Bahadurpur railway crossing
here Wednesday evening. Police say he had been stalking her for
the last few days.
Singh later shot himself and was admitted to the Patna Medical
College and Hospital. His condition is stated to be critical. A
case of murder has been lodged against him.
Singh was posted at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp
at the Moinul Haq Stadium, where young women players have come to
attend practice sessions for the National Games beginning Feb 12.
The victim and another player Meenu were returning to her railway
quarters from the stadium after a day's practice when the incident
occurred.
Singh, believed to be in an inebriated state, intercepted Manisha
and demanded her mobile number. When she refused, Singh first hit
her on the face two or three times and then fired at her with his
AK 47, police said.
"Soon after Manisha was shot, she was rushed to a nearby private
clinic where doctors declared her brought dead," a police official
said.
Police have recovered 17 empty and four live cartridges from the
incident site. "Police have also seized the AK 47 used by CRPF
jawan," a police official said.
Police said Singh, who hails from Rajasthan, belongs to the 131st
CRPF battalion,.
The killing has shocked sportspersons, coaches and officials
alike, with many associated with kabaddi demanding that the camp
be shifted out of the stadium.
Tapas Sen, a kabaddi coach with the Sports Authority of India,
said: "The CRPF camp should be removed from the stadium because
security personnel often made remarks about woman players."
Abdul Bari Siddiqui, a top official of the state kabaddi
association, said the CRPF camp must be shifted outside the
stadium for the safety of players, particularly women.
Mritunjay Tiwari, president of the Bihar players association, said
the government should remove the CRPF camp within a week or "we
will launch an agitation for it".
Manisha, a native of Jhalwari village in Himachal Pradesh, was a
commercial clerk in Danapur railway division of East Central
Railway. She had been practising for the last two weeks at the
camp to prove her talent for the 34th National Games in Ranchi,
Jharkhand.
She was expected to leave for Ranchi Thursday for the National
Games.
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