Family members of Satteppa Kilaragi, who lost his life on March 6 after killing four of his colleagues in a Border Security Force (BSF) camp in Punjab, was mentally unstable, his family members claim.
Mr. Kilaragi, a 35-year-old constable from Hale Vantamuri village near Hukkeri in Belagavi district, shot Toraskar D.S., Ram Binod, Rattan Singh and Baljinder Kumar in Khasa, Amritsar district, before succumbing to injuries.
His relatives claim that he was undergoing treatment with a psychiatrist for the last few months.
His wife Bheemvaa told The Hindu that her husband was suffering from depression and was treated by doctors in the mental hospital in Dharwad. “My husband suffered mental harassment from colleagues. He was not supported by his seniors who denied him sick leave,” she said.
She said that she had written a letter requesting extension of his leave for a month after he had been sanctioned two weeks in November 2021.
“He had come to Hale Vantamuri after his brother insisted on partition of the family property. On the day family members were discussing the partition, he fainted and began acting weird. We took him to the mental hospital in Dharwad where the doctor, after giving him some medicine, advised bed rest for a month. I wrote all these details in the letter and requested the commandant, his boss, to extend his leave. But the request was not accepted. My husband was called back to duty.
“His seniors had also rejected his requests to allow him to bring his wife and three children to live in the family quarters at the place of his posting,” she alleged.
Kempanna, brother of the deceased, said that the solider had spoken to his wife on the morning of the incident. “He was upset that his repeated requests for leave had been rejected,’’ Mr. Kempanna said.
The BSF directorate general is yet to respond to an email seeking a response to the allegations of the family.
