Thiruvananthapuram: In a bizarre incident, a police officer got into the ‘line of fire’ when he fried blank bullets in a pan in order to dry them, causing an explosion at the Armed Reserve (AR) camp of Kochi. Call it a case of ‘from the frying pan into the fire.’
Blank rounds used for ceremonial purposes don’t have a projectile but contain gunpowder. Since they are only used occasionally, the bullets are often warmed up under sunlight to remove corrosion and keep them functional.
Instead of warming the bullets under sunlight, which takes time, sub-inspector CV Sajeev hit upon an idea by trying to speed up the process by warming the rounds in a frying pan.
According to reports, two rounds exploded as he ‘fried’ the bullets in the kitchen of the AR camp mess. To the luck of others in the area, the blast did not lead to any major fire despite the fact that the SI heated the bullets in the kitchen with LPG cylinders nearby.
Officials warm the rounds under sunlight before cleaning it to avoid embarrassment if the rounds fail to fire. But on March 10, the officer didn’t have enough time to warm it under the sun and hence tried using a frying pan to speed up the process.
After the incident, a report was filed by the AR camp commandant to the city police commissioner, which prima facie found lapses and a departmental inquiry was ordered.
The incident occurred on March 10 ahead of an official police funeral ceremony. Sajeev oversaw the ammunition unit at the AR camp. The bullets can corrode since they are only used when such a demand arises. The blank ammunition is designed to produce a realistic sound and flash during the ceremony.
City police commissioner Putta Vimaladitya admitted that there was a lapse in judgement and further action would be based on the departmental inquiry report.
