A 25-year-old man died when a defence shell hit him at the Chandipur shore of Bay of Bengal, about 30 km from here today, police said.
Puchi Dalei (25) of village Tundura under Khantapada police station, had gone to the sea this afternoon when a defence shell hit him and he died on the spot, a senior police officer said.
Shells of various calibre are tested at regular intervals from firing points of Proof & Experimentals Establishments (PXE), a defence base at Chandipur.
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"However, in today's incident, whether the shell accidentaly hit the person or the man died while illegally picking up the shell is under investigation," the official said.
On July 26, 2002, at least eight persons had died due to bursting of a defence shell while trying to extract metal in the area.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in an order on October 21, 2010, held the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) responsible for the death of the eight asking it to accord compensation of Rs 3 lakh each to the family members.
