A licensed pistol accidentally went off during a mandatory security check at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi on Sunday morning, injuring two AAICLAS personnel. The incident took place around 9.30 am as a passenger and his wife arrived to board Air India Express flight IX-1810 to Mumbai.
The passenger, identified as 55-year-old Kamlesh Rai from Ramgarh village in Azamgarh, had declared his licensed weapon at the check-in counter as required. During the screening process, CISF and airline personnel were checking the pistol and counting its cartridges when a round was accidentally discharged.
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The bullet injured two AAICLAS screeners who were standing nearby. The injured personnel were identified as Suman Kumari and Rohit Raj. Suman, who is in her late twenties, suffered injuries to both legs, while Rohit, also in his late twenties, sustained an injury to the toe of his left foot.
Airport director Puneet Gupta said the passenger had informed authorities that he intended to carry his licensed weapon on the aircraft. Both injured staffers were immediately taken by ambulance to New Lakshmi Hospital in Harhua for treatment and were reported to be stable.
An earlier account from airport officials said the passenger had declared his ammunition and was being screened separately in the security hold area. The pistol was found to contain a single loaded round, which the passenger reportedly said he was unaware of. The weapon discharged while it was being unloaded. An FIR has been registered and police are investigating the incident.
AAICLAS screeners are responsible for examining passenger baggage and freight using X-ray machines, metal detectors and other scanning technologies. They are also tasked with alerting airport authorities and security agencies when weapons or other unauthorised items are detected.
The incident highlights the risks involved in handling firearms during airport security procedures, even when weapons have been legally declared and passengers are following the required process.
