An 11-year-old boy, Pughazendhi, dies at Thanjavur Medical College Hospital days after getting hit in the back of his head by a stray bullet which was fired during the CISF training at a police firing range in Narthamalai of Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district on December 30, 2021.According to Keeranur DSP Siva Subramanian, the boy was at least 2 km away from the firing range at his grandparents’ house. He further said that they are investigating how the incident happened. Near Pudukkottai’s Narthamalai, there has been a firing camp conducted and owned by the Tamil Nadu Police at Pasumalaipatti. Covering an area of 60 acres, the site was undergoing training for Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel on December 29 and 30. On December 30, around 8.30 am, when the rifle training was underway, two bullets deflected when the trainees misdirected the gun.Pughazendhi, who was eating inside his grandparents’ cottage home in the Narthamalai area which is located near the firing training ground, was shot in the back of his head. The boy was immediately rushed to Keeranur government hospital and then shifted to Pudukkottai Medical College Hospital and then admitted to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, where a team of doctors operated on the boy, and the bullet was removed yet the boy remained in critical condition.Meanwhile, residents of the Narthamalai area, who came to know about the incident, staged a protest on the Pudukkottai-Trichy National Highway demanding the immediate closure of the firing range. Following this, District Collector Kavitha Ramu ordered a temporary closure of the firing range.The Keeranur police initially registered a case against the CISF personnel under two sections — negligent handling of weapons and negligent act which endangered human life. The Trichy Range DIG, Saravana Sundar, has said that the bullet and the weapons used during the training were seized from the firing range and are sent to the Forensic Department in Chennai. The CISF personnel involved in the training were also taken to the RTO office in Iluppur and an investigation was conducted.Preliminary reports have revealed that the bullet which hit the boy’s head was a 9mm bullet. Then, out of the 29 rifles used during the training, cops are investigating the rifle in which 9mm bullet was used and was it handled by a CISF personnel or by a Central Zone Police. An investigation is ongoing to find out. Subsequently, the bullet which has been surgically removed from the boy’s head is expected to be handed over to the court soon.Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.