Four-year-old boy dies in accidental firing in Karnataka

A four-year-old boy has died and his mother sustained severe injuries after a 15-year-old boy accidently fired a loaded gun while he was playing with the firearm

Mandya: A four-year-old boy has died and his mother sustained severe injuries after a 15-year-old boy accidently fired a loaded gun while he was playing with the firearm at Nagamangala taluk of this district, police said on Monday.

The deceased is identified as Abhijeet, a child of migrant labourers from West Bengal, they said.

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The incident occurred around 5.45 pm on Sunday, in a poultry farm where the family has been employed, police said.

The 15-year-old boy came to the small house in the poultry farm and noticed the Single Barrel Breech Loading (SBBL) firearm hanging on the wall. He took the weapon and started playing with it and accidentally the boy discharged the weapon, hitting the four-year-old child in the abdomen and injuring his 30-year-old mother on her leg.

The injured were immediately taken to a hospital where the four-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries due to excessive blood loss. His mother is stated to be out of danger and undergoing treatment, a senior police officer said.

“We have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the boy who triggered the gun and booked the poultry farm owner under sections of Arms Act for negligently keeping the licensed gun. Both the accused boy and the license holder of the weapon were apprehended in connection with the incident,” he said.

The accused boy who also hails from West Bengal was working at another poultry farm nearby, police said, adding further investigation is underway.