Siliguri, Mar 14 (PTI) A 50-year-old man was killed in a shell explosion after he entered the Teesta Field Firing Range near Siliguri in northern West Bengal, the Army said in a statement on Tuesday.

The incident happened around 2 pm on Monday when Tilak Bahadur Rai, a resident of Totgaon in Mal police station area, entered the range when live firing was underway, it said.

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"It has been confirmed that the individual entered the restricted zone of Teesta Field Firing Range with the likely intention of scrap collection and an artillery shell exploded near him and he lost his life," it added.

It is a notified firing range on the banks of the Teesta river, the statement said.

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As per Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), all clearances from the local administration and police were obtained, and villagers were notified about the firing practices in advance, it said.

Rai's family decided not to lodge any police complaint, the Army said.

"The Indian Army remains steadfast in its professional conduct and expresses deep sense of empathy for the departed soul," it said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)