Tamil Nadu: 11-year-old Boy Critical After Being Hit in the Head by Stray Bullet Fired During CISF Training

A stray bullet from a police firing range hit an 11-year-old boy’s head in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district on December 30. The bullet was surgically removed from the boy’s head, but he continues to be hospitalised and his condition remains critical, doctors said.

The incident took place at Narthamalai in Pudukkottai district. According to Keeranur deputy superintendent of police Siva Subramanian, the boy was at least 2 km away from the firing range at his grandparents’ home. He further said police were conducting an investigation into the incident.

There is a firing range conducted and owned by the Tamil Nadu Police at Pasumalaipatti, near Narthamalai. Covering an area of 60 acres, the site is being used by CISF personnel for training purposes.

Police said around 8.30 am on Thursday, when rifle training was underway, two bullets got deflected when trainees misdirected their gun. The boy, identified as Pughazendhi, was eating inside his grandparents’ cottage when he was shot in the back of his head, police added.

Police further said the boy was immediately rushed to Keeranur government hospital and then moved to Pudukkottai Medical College Hospital. He is currently undergoing treatment at Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, where a team of doctors operated on the boy and removed the bullet. The boy, however, remains critical, police added.

Residents of Narthamalai, who found out about the incident, staged a protest on Pudukkottai-Trichy national highway demanding the immediate closure of the firing range on a permanent basis. Following this, district collector Kavitha Ramu ordered that the firing range should be temporarily closed.

Police have registered a case against CISF personnel under two sections — negligent handling of weapons and negligent act endangering human life. The CISF, however, has not revealed the identity of the trainees who misfired.

Trichy range DIG Saravana Sundar said the bullet and weapons used during training were seized from the firing range on Friday.

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