TURA: The in-charge of the police armoury in Tura, Mone Marak, died after a bullet stuck in the barrel of an automatic rifle went off while he was attempting to dislodge it on Friday afternoon.
The incident happened after completion of the annual firing practice for the district police personnel at the 2nd MLP Battalion firing range in Goeragre, 13 kms from Tura.
The live round, an INSAS 5.56 mm bullet, reportedly failed to exit from the weapon during the firing practice.
According to police, this happens when the ammo develops into a bulky round and fails to gain enough velocity to exit the barrel and remains lodged inside. There are no procedures for removing it safely, say police. “They tried to remove the bullet from the gun at the battalion itself but were unsuccessful. It was brought to the armoury workshop at Tura police reserve where the armoury in-charge havildar Mone Marak and another armourer were trying to extract the bullet when it accidently went off,” informed West Garo Hills district police chief MGR Kumar.
The bullet hit the havildar in his abdomen and reportedly ruptured his spleen. He was rushed to the Tura Civil Hospital where he succumbed.
“The deceased was a very experienced armourer and a thorough gentleman who always went by the book. It is a very sad incident,” Kumar said.
