Anxious residents have urged Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, senior Army officials, and authorities to take urgent action against stray bullets in their area, citing incidents of bullets piercing roofs and shattering windows, endangering lives
Published Dec 05, 2024 | 4:13 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 10, 2024 | 9:30 AM
“We live in fear — inside or outside, there’s no escape,” says Pushpakaran Nair of Sivodayam. Recounting the day a bullet shattered his windowpane, he said, it was in November 2018 that his family discovered the stray bullet in the house.
“My daughter-in-law noticed the broken windowpane on the second floor. Upon closer inspection, we found a bullet lodged there,” he recalls.
Local police and even the Army investigated the matter, but no action appears to have been taken.
Imagine living in fear that a bullet might strike you out of nowhere — even if you are sound asleep under your roof. Sounds surreal? That is the harsh reality for residents of Vilavoorkkal grama panchayat in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district.
Fear is not a fleeting thought, it is a daily companion to these villagers.
Residents of Kavadivila continue to live under a cloud of fear; bullets continue to stray into homes and public pathways.
“There are supposed to be sandbags and walls to stop the bullets, but lapses in monitoring have turned this into a recurring nightmare,” says Pushpakaran to South First.
Anand, a welder by profession, remembers that November 7 was no ordinary day.
What began as a routine hospital visit with his seven-year-old child turned into a chilling realisation of how narrowly that trip had saved them.
Anand, a resident in the village who found a stray bullet on his sofa.
Once they got home to their modest one-bedroom rented house in Kavadivila, at Pottayil in Vilavoorkkal grama panchayat, Anand and his wife noticed something odd in the living room.
Among the freshly sun-dried clothes on the sofa was an unfamiliar metallic object.
Curious but clueless, they examined it closely — to discover it was a bullet.
Their shock deepened when they noticed a small hole in the metal roof.
A hole in the metal roof caused because of a stray bullet
A stray bullet had pierced the roof and landed in their living room, perilously close to where their child usually plays.
“This sofa is the most used space in our house. My daughter plays here every day. I shudder to think what might have happened if we were home when the bullet fell,” Anand told South First.
Seven years of peaceful living in the area, Anand says, have ended with a jolt as the firing range at Mukkunimala, about three km away, has become their whimsical neighbour.
Mukkunimala, which until the 1960s was a pristine hilltop with paddy and tapioca cultivation at the base, was transformed by rampant quarrying after about 100 families of freedom fighters from Central Travancore were assigned land there.
In the 1990s, mechanised quarrying began, and there are now large pools where sand and stone have been scooped out, leading locals to stage protests.
The firing range operated by the Indian Army began operations at Mukkunimala, just two or three km from the affected areas.
It’s here that the firing range maintained by the Indian Army operates
Residents of Kavadivila and Kochupottayil in Vilavoorkkal grama panchayath experienced stray bullets falling in close vicinity recently, putting them in the grip of fear.
A day after Anand and his family discovered the bullet on their sofa, another bullet was found lying on the roadside — an area frequented by children and the elderly.
Thankamani of Saju Bhavan said, “My son first spotted it. He’s recovering from surgery and was advised to take short walks. Imagine our horror when, during one of those walks, he stumbled on a bullet just outside the house.”
“Will it happen again?” That’s the question haunting residents, who expressed their growing fears when South First visited.
Before them is the incident that happened a few years ago where a woman got injured after a stray bullet hit her stomach. Fortunately, she had no serious injuries then.
Some even worry whether the next stray bullet might not just damage property but claim a life.
Although a few bullets have been found by the villagers, there is speculation about the ones that still lie around, waiting to be discovered.
“If bullets are hitting homes and walkways, imagine how many might be lost in the grassy, wooded areas around us,” Pushpakaran says.
Residents feel the threat hangs over them, yet they hesitate to initiate legal action.
“Changing my shattered window pane cost me ₹2,000. Pursuing the matter legally will cost me a fortune and drag on endlessly. Even the police seem eager to close these cases quickly,” Pushpakaran says.
Anxious residents have written to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, senior Army officials, and other authorities urging them to take immediate remedial measures to address the problem of stray bullets landing in their area.
The letter, backed by signed statements from residents and media reports, outlines the repeated incidents of stray bullets piercing through the roof and shattering windows, endangering the lives of civilians.
The letter says that over the past few months, several houses in the locality have reported instances of bullets causing damage to property. Despite complaints to local authorities and police, the problem persists, the residents state.
An excerpt from the letter to the Defense Minister
The residents say military authorities have failed to implement effective safety protocols during shooting practice.
The lack of safeguards, they say, has created an environment of fear and uncertainty.
“While we respect the military and its need for practice, ensuring the safety of civilians should be a priority. The stray bullets are not only damaging property but also putting innocent lives at risk,” the letter states.
The residents have urged the Defence Ministry to:
– Conduct a thorough investigation into the safety protocols at the Mukkunimala shooting range
– Implement stricter safeguards, including barriers, to prevent bullets from leaving the range
– Provide compensation for property damage and ensure the safety of nearby communities
The community has also demanded collaboration between military officials and local authorities to address complaints and ensure effective long-term solutions.
While the firing range is being operated by the Army, it is used to train Kerala Police, Central Industrial Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force staff. The National Cadet Corps uses it too.
In the recent incident of stray bullets, firing was carried out by Kerala Police.
On condition of anonymity, a police officer told South First that though each instance of a stray bullet should be investigated thoroughly to determine the root cause, there are some common reasons.
“Despite the presence of safety measures like sandbags and high walls, stray bullet incidents can occur due to a variety of reasons, often stemming from a combination of structural flaws, environmental factors, and human errors. One major reason could be the angle of fire,” said the officer.
Representational pic
courtesy – Kerala Police
“When a shot is fired at a steeper angle than intended, bullets can travel beyond the confines of the range. This is especially problematic if the height of walls or sandbags is insufficient to contain shots fired at unexpected trajectories,” the officer said.
Another possibility is ricochets; bullets striking hard surfaces such as rocks, improperly placed targets, or even metal objects within the range, can ricochet at unpredictable angles.
It is said that these deflections can send bullets outside the intended containment zone, bypassing safety barriers designed for straight-line trajectories.
Another possible factor could be improper placement and inferior quality of the sandbags and walls meant to prevent bullets from exiting the range.
“Structural flaws, such as gaps in barriers, deteriorating sandbags, or walls that are not high or thick enough, can compromise their ability to absorb or stop bullets. Regular maintenance and inspection are critical to address these weaknesses,” said the officer.
A firing range that lacks a properly engineered bullet trap or backstop — a structure designed to absorb or stop bullets — may fail to contain stray shots, the officer said, adding that unpredictable environmental conditions, such as strong winds, can alter the trajectory of bullets.
“This is particularly relevant in outdoor firing ranges where natural elements play a role in influencing bullet paths,” the officer pointed out.
Besides these causes, malfunctioning firearms or defective ammunition can result in bullets veering off their intended paths.
“Then there is also the human factor. Instances of shooters mishandling weapons, failing to adhere to standard operating procedures, or firing in unintended directions can result in bullets straying from the designated area. Inadequate training or lack of supervision may increase the risk,” he said.
In the case of the Mukkunimala firing range, the reasons are yet to be made public. An investigation is being carried out by Revenue Divisional Officer of Nedumangadu KP Jayakumar.
(Edited by Rosamma Thomas)
