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A teenage shooter from Bengal accidentally fired at her physiotherapist, who was left with a broken jaw after the accident. The incident happened during a tournament in Chennai where an emergency surgery was carried out to remove the pellet from the physio’s jaw.
It happened to be the third breach in an Indian shooting this year. Earlier, a shooter lost his thumb in Faridabad while trying to fill the cylinder of his pistol.
Thereafter in the Nationals, a rifle opponent pointed her gun towards the gallery where the spectators sat. It violated the safety rules of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).
Bengal coach Koeli Mitter, in the meantime, said that the shooter should have been cautious while cleaning her gun.
"It was accidental. The shooter was cleaning her gun and the physio suddenly appeared there. Definitely, it is the fault of the shooter, I would say. She should have been more careful. But it was totally an accidental case and happened at night," Mitter told PTI.
"I guess she (physio) is doing fine, and we had taken her to the hospital at that moment only and a surgery was performed on the jaw. She was in day care for 24 hours," the coach said.
Safety is paramount: Bengal coach Koeli Mitter
The Bengal coach talked about the importance of prioritizing safety while handling guns. The coach also expressed surprise as to why the pellet was inside the rifle while the gun was being cleaned.
"We teach shooters how to handle the guns and safety is paramount for the particular sport because, obviously they are handling guns. They need to know safety first," Koeli Mitter said.
"Even we are not aware (why she did not remove the pellet) from the rifle before cleaning. I was not there in the scenario, so I won't exactly be able to say where the pellet came from but definitely the pellet was there (in the barrel)," she added.
Koeli Mitter also said that the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and the West Bengal Rifle Association were informed about the incident.
General Sultan Singh, the NRAI Secretary, said that former shooters with substantial experience should serve as coaches for youngsters.
