Shillong, March 15: A man died after a shell exploded when he was present inside Teesta Field Firing Range in West Bengal.
The Army informed that the man had entered the firing range in Siliguri in the northern part of the state when the incident occurred.
The incident took place around 2 pm on Monday when the person identified as Tilak Bahadur Rai, a resident of Totgaon in Mal police station area, entered the range when live firing was underway.
A statement by Army stated, “It has been confirmed that the individual entered the restricted zone of Teesta Field Firing Range with the likely intention of scrap collection and an artillery shell exploded near him, and he lost his life,” it added.
Teesta Field Firing Range is a notified range on the banks of the Teesta river and used by the Army.
Local administration and police provide clearances before firing practice is started by the Army. In this case all permissions were reportedly granted.
The family of the victim did not lodge a police complaint, the Army informed.
It read, “The Indian Army remains steadfast in its professional conduct and expresses deep sense of empathy for the departed soul”.
