A Tripura State Rifles (TSR) trooper allegedly took his own life after killing his wife and two children in Agartala, Tripura on May 8. On Tuesday morning, Manik Ghosh, a 40-year-old trooper from TSR 1st battalion, shot at his 34-year-old wife Ratna Ghosh, son Dipraj Ghosh and daughter Ipsita Ghosh.
According to the police, Manik had gone to the battalion headquarters early in the morning and returned home with a self-loading rifle (SLR). Manik later parked his bike in the gate and entered his house.
He headed to the kitchen with the SLR in hand and shot at his wife from a close distance. Later, he also fired at the children from point-blank range, according to a New Indian Express report.
He had aimed at other family members – his younger brother and father – as they tried to intervene. However, they managed to dodge the bullets. He later shot himself, the daily reported.
"Local residents rushed to their home after hearing the gunshots and found them dead. Later the villagers informed the police," the Superintendent of Police Harkumar Debbarma was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India.
The police investigations revealed that the incident may have been triggered due to a dispute between the husband and wife. This was also corroborated by the local residents in the neighborhood who alleged that the duo had a fight over an alleged extramarital affair involving his wife. The arguments had also led to the trooper's father to ensure that the husband and wife lived separately within the same house, NIE reports.
The police are still investigating on how he got hold of the rifle as he was a non-armed personnel. He had served as a rifleman for 16 years, however, due to an accident, he was given non-armed duty for the past few years.
The shocking incident comes just two days after a Border Security Force personnel killed himself after firing at three colleagues at Maguruli in Unakoti district of North Tripura.
