SSB Havildar Found Dead With Service Rifle at Kanker Camp, Suspected Self-Inflicted Gunshot Injury
Kanker, September 14, 2026: A Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) havildar was found dead early Monday morning at the force’s Kuhche camp in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, with police treating the case as a suspected self-inflicted gunshot death. Officials said the motive is not yet known and that a formal investigation is under way.
The deceased has been identified as Anand Prakash Tiwari, a native of Uttar Pradesh, who was posted with the 28th Battalion of the SSB at the Kuhche camp in the Antagarh area. While local reports described him as a havildar, an English-language official account issued by ETV Bharat referred to him as a head constable. His family, which lives in Uttar Pradesh, has been informed of the death.
According to information received from the camp, the incident took place inside the premises at around 5:00 a.m. Personnel stationed there reportedly heard a gunshot and later found Tiwari dead. SSB officials then alerted the local police, and a team from Antagarh police station reached the spot. Kanker Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha said, “It is reported that Jawan Anand Prakash Tiwari shot himself with his own service rifle. Further legal proceedings will be carried out based on the facts that emerge,” he said.
Police have summoned a forensic team to collect evidence from the site. They said Tiwari’s mobile phone will also be examined to help determine his recent contacts. Officers may record statements from family members as part of the inquiry. No suicide note has been reported in the official accounts published so far, and the exact circumstances of the death remain unclear, including whether he was on a specific duty assignment at the time.
The Kuhche camp is located in Antagarh subdivision of Kanker district, an area that has historically seen deployment of central armed police forces. Following the incident, the camp was reported to be in a state of alarm. SSB personnel and district police are working together on the inquest and related procedures, including the post-mortem examination.
Police have not linked the death to any operational incident or confrontation. The cause remains unknown pending the forensic report, examination of the service rifle and statements recorded by Antagarh police. Reporting cited official data showing that multiple cases of self-harm among paramilitary personnel were recorded in Chhattisgarh in 2024 and 2025.
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