NAGPUR: A head constable in his forties was declared dead at a private hospital on Wednesday after sustaining a bullet injury in the stomach at Ajni headquarters of Government Railway Police. Another constable, who was injured in the incident, has been booked for causing death due to negligence.

The incident took place as constable Eknath Lahutkar tested the firearm without taking due precaution when head constable Rajesh Bagdikar was returning a pistol to the unit at GRP headquarters.

The room where arms are stored even has a board outside displaying the precautions to be taken with firearms, including a suggestion to consider even an empty firearm as a loaded one. After the incident, police found one of the 10 bullets had been fired, one was in the chamber and the rest eight were in the magazine.

Bagdikar, posted in the local crime branch (LCB) of GRP, had gone to deposit a 9mm automatic pistol at the headquarters. He was part of the LCB squad that returned after netting notorious drug peddler Tunnu Swine from Naxal-affected Lanjipalli in Odisha a day earlier. Swine is learnt to be a kingpin in drug peddling with networks across India.

Bagdikar, inducted into the force in 1987, surrendered his pistol to constable Lahutkar, who was manning the unit responsible for the arms, since the actual in-charge Ramchandra Madavi was not present. Lahutkar did not confirm whether the firearm was loaded, and pulled the trigger with his left palm in front of the barrel. The bullet pierced Lahutkar’s palm, passed through Bagdikar’s outstretched right hand and then entered his stomach.

A profusely bleeding Bagdikar, father of two sons, limped out into the veranda clutching his stomach with both hands and collapsed. Lahutkar too ran out with his left palm bleeding profusely. Both constables were rushed to Orange City Hospital by their colleagues.

Doctors said Bagdikar was dead by the time he reached the hospital. The doctors who examined Bagdikar said that the bullet had entered his abdomen. “The entry wound is near the navel and the doctors speculated that the bullet hit a major blood vessel, leading to his death due to intensive bleeding,” said a doctor.

He added that Lahutkar suffered a fracture in the bones of his left palm and also has nerve injury. He is stable now and will undergo surgery.

Ajni police have registered an offence under section 304(A) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for causing death due to negligence against Lahutkar.