Homesick cop charged with murder

Twenty-two-year-old Namdeo, who shot dead deputy commandant Karanjkar, was apparently angry over denial of leave.

Moments after his arrest, Namdeo looked unrepentant, flashing a toothy smile and victory signs as the waiting flashbulbs popped.

Before he laid down his arms, Namdeo had just one demand: He wanted to speak to the media. It was soon clear why. He had a number of complaints against the commandant who, it seems, was despised by many other jawans.

‘‘It’s great that Namdeo shot Karanjkar dead,’’ said another CISF jawan who wanted The Indian Express to use his name. ‘‘That @œ$% Karanjkar was such an abusive superior; he would beat up a jawan even if he asked for leave. Karanjkar treated jawans like dirt.’’

Employees of a small cyber-cafe inside the airport complex where he went every day to check his e-mail suggested that the Madhya Pradesh-born Namdeo was just terribly homesick. ‘‘He is such a simple guy otherwise,’’ said a fellow jawan and friend. ‘‘It must have been momentary madness.’’