Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 20: A civilian employee was killed and an Army Havaldar was injured in an accidental blast near Ammunition Depot of the Army at village Kore Jagir in Nagrota this afternoon. The blast occurred when the Army jawans were cleaning and repairing a 81mm mortar illuminator.
Army has ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the incident while police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) in the death.
Official sources said the blast occurred around 12.30 pm today when the 81mm mortar illuminator exploded as it was being cleaned and repaired by the Army jawans at Army Ammunition Depot at village Kore Jagir near Nagrota.
Two persons including a civil employee of the Army and a Havaldar were injured in the blast after being hit by splinters of the mortar illuminator. Army personnel from nearby positions rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to hospital, where the civil employee was declared as dead.
The deceased has been identified as Sanjeev Baru, 42, son of Dev Raj Baru, a resident of Kore Jagir, Nagrota, who was working as Painter with the Army as casual employee for last about 20 years.
Baru was seriously injured in the explosion as splinters of 81mm mortar illuminator had pierced through his abdomen and other parts of the body. He succumbed to his injuries immediately after the blast.
Another Army jawan Havaldar ATS Mohanty (No. 6937541) was injured in the blast. He has been admitted in the Military Hospital, Satwari, where he was responding to the treatment.
Sources said explosive experts of the Army inspected site of the blast and collected splinter of the device that went off accidentally while the Army personnel were cleaning it. Police have registered a case under Section 304-A RPC at Nagrota police station for negligence on part of the officials that led to the explosion killing a civilian employee and injuring another.
Police handed over body of Sanjeev Baru to his family members this afternoon after post-mortem and completion of other legal formalities.
Army has, meanwhile, ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the incident to find out reasons that led to the blast.
Meanwhile, a land mine was recovered and later defused by the security forces in Samba district last evening, sources said.
On the information of a farmer Balak Ram, the mine was found in his agriculture fields at village Bein Galard in border area in Samba district last evening by the troops of 126 Battalion of BSF, they said.
The BSF called explosive experts to the spot, who defused the land mine and averted a tragedy.
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