Three people were injured in accidental firing allegedly from a carbine belonging to the Provincial Armed Police Force (PAC) deployed at Gate No. 4 of Baba Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, police said.
A police officer said that the injured were Nikini Gupta, Ram Babu and Vikas Yadav. The bullet hit a stone, the impact of which shattered it into fragments that struck the three local bystanders.
They were taken to Kabirshura Regional Hospital. Doctors said that the three received first aid and none of them suffered serious injuries.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shiv Hari Meena, who visited the injured in hospital and inspected the site, said: “A PAC soldier was clearing a crowd of devotees near Kashi Vishwanath Dham when he suddenly fired a carbine by mistake. The matter is being investigated. Medical treatment has been given to the injured. All of them are out of danger.”
The soldier who fired his carbine was identified as Amarnath Chauhan. He was posted to 48th PAC Battalion. He is a soldier of the 1987 batch and is scheduled to retire in 2027.
Following the incident, senior police and administrative officials inspected the scene and reviewed the security arrangements. Later, security was tightened inside the temple complex and the surrounding area.
The police have collected necessary evidence from the scene and the PAC officer concerned is now being interrogated.
Police officers said that the incident, prima facie, appeared to be a case of accidental discharge of a carbine. However, a thorough investigation into the entire sequence of events is underway to clarify the circumstances under which the shooting took place and to determine whether there was any negligence regarding security protocols.
Further action will be taken based on the investigation report.
