Old army shell explodes, two injured

PANCHKULA - Two people were injured here Friday after an old Indian Army shell exploded when one of the victims tried to dismantle it, police said.

The incident occurred at Kharar Mangoli, a slum rehabilitation colony, around 15 km from Chandigarh. The victims were identified as Roshan and Lakshman, both in their late 20s.

“Lakshman found an old army shell near Ghaggar river here today (Friday). To extract metal out of it, he hit it with a stone due to which the shell bounced and fell few metres away from him. Immediately on touching the ground it exploded. An onlooker Roshan also sustained injuries,” inquiry officer Jangsher Singh said.

“Both of them were immediately shifted to a civil hospital here in Sector 6 from where Lakshman was referred to PGIMER (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research) in Chandigarh in critical condition,” he added.

Indian Army’s Western Command headquarters is situated at Chandi Mandir, two km from here.

“Army cantonment area is near to this place and there is a possibility that an unexploded shell floated down a canal and was found by the victim,” said a police official.