19-year-old killed as live ammunition goes off at Pokhran firing range

A 19-year-old labourer who was scanning through scrap at the Pokhran firing range in Jaisalmer was killed after live ammunition went off on Sunday evening.

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Image for representation

A 19-year-old labourer who was scanning through scrap at the Pokhran firing range in Jaisalmer was killed after live ammunition went off on Sunday evening.

Leelu Singh's body was blown apart.

"Scrap of spent bombs was being gathered by authorized contractor through his labourers, during this Leelu Singh, 19 year old resident of Bhadaria village, caste Rajput, died a painful death due to an unused bomb going off," said Jaisalmer SP Gaurav Yadav.

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Senior Army officials reached the spot, and police registered a case. An investigation was under way to determine whether the bomb that went off was a tank or mortar ammunition.

"Army's firing was not happening at the Pokhran field firing range due to Sunday being a holiday, during that the contractor for finding scrap was getting scrap gathered by his labourers, during that, there was a huge bomb blast in an unused blind bomb as a 19 year old labourer, Leelu Singh, touched it with his hand and stepped onto it and the body of Leelu Singh blew apart," said a Lathi police station official.

The possibility that the bomb which killed Leela was an extremely powerful one which didn't get used during firing hasn't been ruled out.