Ara: A 25-year-old home guard jawan died after being shot allegedly by a fellow jawan inside the barracks on the premises of Sandesh police station in Bhojpur district late Sunday night. The jawan allegedly involved in the firing is absconding.The deceased was identified as Monal Rai, son of Prem Shankar Rai, a resident of Gulzarpur village under Ara Town police station area. He was posted at Sandesh police station about a month ago.According to preliminary information, Monal was resting on his bed in the barracks after completing his duty when another jawan, Ritu Kumar, a resident of Ekwari village under Ara Town police station area, returned from evening patrol. A shot was fired shortly afterwards, hitting Monal on the right side of his chest.Police personnel rushed him to the referral hospital at Sandesh and later took him to a private hospital in Ara. However, he died on the way. His body was subsequently sent to Ara Sadar Hospital for postmortem.Bhojpur SP Awadhesh Kumar Dixit visited the spot and launched an investigation. A forensic science laboratory (FSL) team examined the spot and collected evidence. Police said the weapon involved in the incident had been secured for investigation.“The eyewitnesses present in the barracks are being questioned, and their statements indicate that a jawan fired the weapon. However, the circumstances and intention behind the firing remain unclear,” the SP said.Police are investigating whether Monal was hit by an accidental discharge or was deliberately shot. Preliminary inquiries with members of the patrol team suggested that the two jawans shared cordial relations and that no previous dispute between them had come to light.“The exact cause of the incident will become clear only after a detailed investigation, including the FSL findings and postmortem report,” the SP said.Monal had joined the Home Guard service in 2025. The youngest of two brothers and a sister, he is survived by his mother, elder brother and sister.His elder brother, Dheeraj Kumar Rai, said Monal had called home around 8pm on Sunday and discussed buying a motorcycle for commuting. He said the family was unaware of any dispute between Monal and the jawan allegedly involved in the firing.However, Dheeraj alleged that the family was not immediately informed about the incident by police personnel and learnt about it from another person.