Kochi: A fisherman suffered a gunshot injury in his ear near a gunnery training school under the Southern Naval Command in Kochi with defence sources ruling out the possibility of the bullet being fired from the school. It is learned that the the fisherman was hit by the bullet while returning to shore in his boat on Wednesday. Police sources said that the injury was not serious and the bullet was found inside the boat itself.
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He said since the incident occurred close to the INS Dronacharya, a gunnery school at the Naval base, and it has to be ascertained whether any firing practice was conducted during the day. Defence sources, meanwhile, said that the bullet could not have come from the Naval base. They said that Naval officers examined the bullet in question and according to them it was a 2mm bullet, which is used for hunting or sports and was not military grade.
Much larger calibre bullets are used by the defence forces, the sources said. They also said that there is a high wall behind the shooting range to catch off-target or wayward bullets and even if a shot ricochets from the wall and goes out, it would be bent out of shape. That was not the case in the instant incident, they added. Police, meanwhile, said forensic analysis will have to be carried out before coming to any conclusion regarding the calibre of the bullet. (with Agency inputs)
