PATNA: The Indian Army has issued a statement on the alleged killing of three people in Bihar’s Gaya district, stating that no mortar shells were fired at the training range on the day of the incident.
According to the statement, Colonel Dushyant Singh Chauhan, the administrative commandant of Danapur Cantonment, clarified that no clearance was given for mortar firing at the Deuri Dumri firing range on March 8, 2023.
The statement further added that the incident could be a result of unauthorized collection of a mortar blind shell, triggering a detonation. The Army has extended support to the district administration to investigate the cause of the tragedy and urged people to refrain from the dangerous practice of unauthorized scrap metal collection.
“It has been noted that certain sections of the social media have been showing a circular shaped hole in the ground indicating it as the point of impact of the mortar shell. Mortar shell detonation on impact does not leave such signatures…..This could be a case of unauthorised collection of a mortar blind shell which fell in the designated impact area on an earlier date, and efforts to dismantle it to extract scrap metal. This could have triggered the detonation, causing the unfortunate accident”, added the statement issued by the Colonel.
“The Indian Army requests that this dangerous practice of unauthorised collection of scrap metal…..Must be refrained from”.
Bihar Administration Probes the Killing of 3 People, Injured as Many
The administration in Bihar’s Gaya district is probing the incident that killed three people and injured as many, all belonging to the same family. The incident occurred on March 8, 2023, in a village near the Deuri Dumri firing range. The Army has denied firing any mortar shells at the range on that day and has extended support to the district administration in the investigation. The administration is investigating the incident from all angles.