Teenager die, two injured after abandoned bomb explode at Army range

The three villagers had entered the range to extract metal and collect scrap, said police

Bhopal: A 17-year-old boy died, and two others were injured, on Friday after an unexploded hand grenade blew up at the Army’s firing range in Jaitpur village, Datia, said a police officer. He added that the three villagers had entered the range to extract metal and collect scrap.

A 17-year-old boy had found a hand grenade that had not exploded during the soldiers’ practise sessions (Representative image)

The deceased was identified as Gangaram Adivasi, while Ramu Adivasi (23) and Manoj Adivasi (16) were admitted to Jhansi Medical College, 28 km from the village, in serious condition, said the officer.

The army soldiers practise shooting at the firing range in Jaitpur village under the Basai police station area. “All three of them had entered the firing range illegally to extract copper, brass, and iron from scrap and unexploded bombs,” said additional superintendent of police (ASP) Sunil Shivahare.

“Gangaram had found a hand grenade that had not exploded during the soldiers’ practise sessions. The bomb exploded in his hand when he tried to extract the metal,” Shivahare added.

The villagers told police that the teenager earned a decent amount of money by selling metal scrap from used ammunition. Explosions had been reported earlier, but there had been no fatalities.

Shivahare said they are investigating the case and how the villagers gained access to the unauthorised firing range.