LUCKNOW/VARANASI: A licensed pistol of a former corporator of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) accidentally went off during mandatory security screening at Varanasi airport Sunday morning, injuring two cargo screeners, including a woman, police said.The weapon was discharged around 9.30 am as Kamlesh Kedarnath Rai, 55, of Azamgarh, travelling with his wife, Sushma, on Air India Express flight IX-1810 to Mumbai, handed over the weapon for inspection. Police arrested Rai and an FIR was later lodged under BNS sections for negligence.“The pistol was in the hand of the passenger when a round present in its chamber was accidentally discharged. Two ground staff employees standing nearby suffered injuries,” DCP Neetu said. According to ACP Pindra Prashant Singh, the bullet hit a hard surface before a fragment or ricochet struck the two ground staff.An FIR is being lodged under Sections 125(a) and 125(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for negligent acts causing hurt and serious hurt.Rai, who originally hails from Ramgarh village of Azamgarh district, was carrying a 7.62 mm pistol inside the airport terminal with 22 live cartridges. After the incident, police recovered one empty cartridge and 21 live cartridges.According to police, Rai is a former corporator of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and a resident of Malad, a suburb in north Mumbai. He owns a hotel business in Mumbai and his son Ritesh is a corporator from ward 86 of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation from Shiv Sena (Shinde faction). Last year in Aug, Rai was arrested and later released on bail for allegedly extorting Rs 5 lakh from a builder in Andheri, west Mumbai.The injured screeners, Suman Kumari and Rohit Raj, work for AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Ltd. Kumari suffered a thigh injury and Raj an injury to his finger. Both were taken to hospital and were stable.An official source said Rai, a regular flyer, had an all-India permit for the weapon and was responsible for ensuring its chamber was clear before entering the airport. He had long owned the licenced weapon, so he was aware of precautions required. “It was his responsibility to check the weapon’s chamber,” the source said.Meanwhile, Rohit, recalling the accidental firing incident, said, “The passenger first removed the magazine and checked it. It was loaded. He then pressed the trigger downwards and the weapon fired. I sustained an injury near the last finger of my left hand and there is some swelling.”The other injured Suman said, “The passenger said the weapon was unloaded and pressed the trigger to show us. The shot was fired while he was showing it to us. The bullet hit me in both legs, including the thigh.”The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is now probing the incident, including “adherence to the prescribed procedures for handling and carriage of licensed weapons at airports”, according to the aiviation ministry. Appropriate action will be taken based on the findings, it said.Under existing rules, a firearm may be legally transported on a flight only if it is completely unloaded and stored in a locked, hard-sided container. It must be declared at the airline check-in counter, along with valid licences, and ammunition must be stored separately. Passengers are permitted to carry one licensed revolver, pistol or shotgun and up to 50 cartridges in registered baggage.On domestic flights, a handling charge of approximately Rs 5,000, excluding taxes, applies per firearm and 50 cartridges. The charge is around $100 for international flights.
