CRPF DIG charged with throwing hot water on jawan; inquiry ordered

Enraged at having burnt his mouth, a DIG-rank CRPF officer apparently threw hot water on the face of the jawan who had served it to him, prompting the force to order an inquiry into the incident, officials said on Wednesday.

The purported incident took place on Tuesday at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) recruit training centre in Bihar's Rajgir district.

An official communication of the force said Deputy Inspector General D K Tripathi, who was staying at the officers' mess of the institute, had ordered hot drinking water when constable Amol Kharat was on duty at the facility.

The officer is said to have burnt his mouth upon drinking the hot water served to him in a thermos flask, following which he summoned Kharat.

An altercation took place between the two and the DIG "threw" hot water on the jawan's face and in his winter jersey.

The jawan has been admitted to a local hospital.

Tripathi did not respond to phone calls and SMS sent to him.

Officials said a preliminary inquiry by an Inspector General (IG)-rank officer of the force has been ordered and prima facie it looks to be a case of "accident".

The inquiry report, along with specific recommendations, is expected by January 10 only after which the exact sequence of events and culpability could be established, they said.

An association of ex-paramilitary officials said the jawan "is being pressurised to give statement that the burn injuries were due to spilling of boiled water from the flask".

"The constable is not being allowed to speak to his family members and colleagues. His mobile phone has been snatched by senior officers," the confederation of ex-paramilitary forces personnel welfare association said.