An 11-year-old boy was grievously injured on Thursday after he was hit in the head by a stray bullet from the firing range at Pasumalaipatti, where men of the Central Industrial Security Force were reportedly undergoing training.
K. Pughazendhi was rushed to the Pudukottai Government Medical College Hospital and then referred to the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, where he underwent a surgery to remove the bullet.
Speaking to The Hindu, G. Ravikumar, Dean, Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, said a bullet was removed from the right side of the brain. “The patient remains critical and is being monitored in the intensive care unit of the neurological department,” he said.
Police sources said a practice session was under way for around 30 trainees at the shooting range when a stray bullet from one of the rifles hit the boy near his place of residence located some distance away. The boy was staying in his grandfather’s home near Narthamalai.
Speaking to The Hindu, a senior official at the Pudukottai hospital said the bullet lodged in the boy’s head, rendering him unconscious. A relative of the boy filed a complaint with the Keeranur police seeking an investigation.
A case has been registered under Sections 286 (dealing with any explosive substance) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by an act that endangers human life) of the Indian Penal Code.
Senior officials, including Superintendent of Police Nisha Parthiban, visited the spot. Ms. Parthiban said the firing range would be temporarily shut.
Local residents blocked the Tiruchi-Pudukottai Highway for some time and demanded the closure of the firing range and a detailed investigation into the incident.
Tamil Maanila Congress president G.K. Vasan said in a statement that the police should have undertaken appropriate safety precautions and demanded a thorough inquiry into the incident. He urged the government to initiate steps to prevent such incidents.
