A trek near a restricted defence zone in Tamil Nadu’s Singaperumal Koil turned fatal on Monday evening after an unexploded shell detonated when it was accidentally disturbed by a group of students, killing
one and injuring four others, according to a Times of India report.
The deceased has been identified as Himanshu Yadav, 21, a final-year electrical and electronics engineering student of SRM Engineering College, who was originally from Bengaluru. He was the son of Ramesh Singh, an employee at Air Force quarters in the city. As per reports, the incident took place around 5.30 pm on Monday, April 13, when a group of six students allegedly climbed a hill near the Hanumanthapuram firing range in Singaperumal Koil without permission.
The students reportedly reached the hilltop and noticed a metallic object suspected to be an unexploded ordnance. One of them kicked it, triggering a blast when the object struck a rock.
Himanshu Yadav sustained severe injuries to his chest, shoulder and arm, and died on the spot. Vishal Venugopal, 21, a mechanical engineering student from Hyderabad, suffered serious injuries to his left hand and fingers. Three others including Aryan Sharma from Uttar Pradesh, Krishna Siraj Mahajan from Jammu, and Nishkas Niraj from Delhi, also sustained injuries. Another student, Virat Sanjay Kumar, 23, from Meerut, escaped unharmed.
The injured were rushed to SRM Hospital in Potheri in a 108 ambulance and are currently undergoing treatment, said the TOI report.
Police officials said that the area is routinely used for firing practice by security forces, and the object is suspected to be an unexploded shell left behind during drills. A case has been registered by Singaperumal Koil police, and an investigation is underway. Senior officers have visited the site and are examining how the explosive device remained in the area.
