Littered explosive goes off near Leh firing range
1 killed, 4 injured
One person was killed and four others injured in Leh, Ladakh, when a littered explosive went off near an army firing range Thursday evening, police said.
The officials at Police Control Room Leh told Greater Kashmir that Arjun Singh son of Surjeet Singh of Jarkhand Bihar died on the spot while four people working with the deceased were injured.
Police said the incident took place near Shanglu firing range of army. “They were collecting scrap near the firing range when the incident took place,” officials said. They said the injured have been admitted in hospital where their condition is stated to be stable.
This is second death due to littered explosives during past few days in the state. Earlier this month, a minor girl was killed and her brother critically injured when a littered explosive went off near Tosamaidan firing range in Budgam district of central Kashmir.
The injured boy was incapacitated for life as doctors had to amputate both his legs to save his life. Locals in Drang village and adjacent areas have been demanding the removal of the army from the Tosamaidan meadow.
In the past more than two years, police records say that littered explosives have killed more than 36 persons and caused grievous injuries to 56 people across Jammu and Kashmir.
Investigation into such deaths have found that majority of those killed and injured were children. The children, according to police, are caught unaware as they take the abandoned explosives and ammunition as toys. It also came to fore that many of the children victims were handicapped for life.