West Bengal: 50-year-old man killed in shell explosion after entering firing range

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A 50-year-old man was killed in a shell explosion after he entered the Teesta Field Firing Range near Siliguri in northern West Bengal, the Army said in a statement. The incident happened around 2 pm on Monday when Tilak Bahadur Rai, a resident of Totgaon in Mal police station area, entered the range when live firing was underway, it said.

"It has been confirmed that the individual entered the restricted zone of Teesta Field Firing Range with the likely intention of scrap collection and an artillery shell exploded near him and he lost his life," it added. It is a notified firing range on the banks of the Teesta river, the statement said on Tuesday.

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As per Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), all clearances from the local administration and police were obtained, and villagers were notified about the firing practices in advance, it said. Rai's family decided not to lodge any police complaint, the Army said. "The Indian Army remains steadfast in its professional conduct and expresses deep sense of empathy for the departed soul," it said.

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