Cop at Salem prison fired after a misfire

Coimbatore: On Friday, police constable Manikandan, 34, from Ethapur, who is a member of the Salem city armed reserve police, was suspended after his gun allegedly accidentally discharged a few days prior on the grounds of the Salem central prison. Staff from the Salem city armed reserve police are stationed at the Salem central prison to accompany remand inmates to various courts in Salem and neighboring districts for court proceedings. Last week, Manikandan’s self-loading weapon malfunctioned when he and four other officers were on duty at the Salem Central Prison. When prison director Tamilselvan learned about the error, he informed Salem municipal police commissioner Vijayakumari, who then commanded a thorough investigation. The misfire was caused by Manikandan’s recklessness, according to a police squad that interviewed him and the other four officers. The police commissioner received their reports, and after that Manikandan was suspended. TNN