A BSF jawan allegedly shot a colleague before killing himself with his assault rifle at a border outpost in Murshidabad district on Monday morning.

Sources said Johnson Toppo, a head constable attached to Battalion-117, shot H.G. Sekharan, also a head constable of the same battalion, after an altercation around 6.30am on Monday.

The two constables in their 40s had a heated verbal exchange after they returned from night patrolling at Char Kakmari village of Sagarpara in Murshidabad. During the exchange they got into a scuffle when suddenly Toppo picked up his rifle and fired at least 10 rounds at Sekharan from close range and then shot himself, a BSF officer said.

The other BSF personnel, busy with their morning fitness regimen, rushed to the spot and found both lying in a pool of blood. Rushed to Sagarpara rural hospital, they were declared dead.

BSF authorities could not confirm what led to their dispute. Senior BSF officers including Atul Fuljele, inspector -general of South Bengal Frontier, and S.S. Guleria, deputy inspector-general (G) of South Bengal Frontier, rushed to the spot along with the DIG, Berhampur sector, Karni Singh, for investigation.

Guleria said there was tension between the two but it wasn’t clear why. “We are speaking to officers at the outpost. Police have begun a probe. A court of inquiry has been ordered,” he said.

BSF sources in Murshidabad said Toppo and Sekharan were scheduled to visit Raninagar police station to record their statements in connection with a case filed there on November 29 last year. One Tufazul Islam of Bamnabad village in Sagarpara had lodged a police complaint with against unidentified BSF personnel for causing grievous hurt and wrongful restraint. During the police probe, names of Toppo and Sekharan had surfaced. They had been summoned for deposition before the investigating officer.

“It is not clear if they had a fight over the police case,” a BSF officer of 117 Battalion said.