A fisherman sustained a bullet injury, suspectedly from the Navy firing practice centre near Fort Kochi in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Wednesday, September 7. Sebastian, 70, who hails from Andakaranazhi, sustained a minor injury to his ear and has been admitted to a hospital in Fort Kochi. The incident occurred as Sebastian and others were returning from a fishing trip, and while the others have collected the bullet that injured Sebastian, the Southern Naval Command has not yet confirmed whether the bullet came from its firing range. According to reports, the incident occured near the INS Dronacharya.
The other fishermen who accompanied Sebastain told the media they were around 1.5 km away from the shore, when Sebastian suddenly fell down and they saw that his ear was bleeding. They also found a bullet on the boat close to him. They also said that usually, those venturing out into sea are informed about the armed training sessions at the Navy centre, however, this time, there was no word.
Around 30 other people were on the fishing boat when Sebastian sustained the bullet injury. Officials from both the Indian Navy as well as the Kerala police visited him in the hospital. Reports state that the bullet may have ricoheted off of another surface and hit Sebastian, and may not have been aimed at him. The police have begun an inquiry. According to Hindustan Times, defence sources have claimed that the bullet did not originate from the Navy centre. The report also mentions that the bullet was of a small calibre, and that bullets used by the military are usually of a higher calibre.
Last year, in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, an 11-year-old boy died after he was accidentally shot by a bullet from a shooting range of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The boy was reportedly staying with his grandparents in Narthamalai village, when he was hit by a stray bullet from the CISF firing range located in Pasumalaipettai on December 30, 2021. After the incident, the boy’s family staged a road blockade in protest, and demanded that the firing range be permanently shut down to avoid similar incidents in the future.