Varanasi: A series of accidental firearm discharges involving police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel has raised concerns over weapon handling in Varanasi in recent years. While one such incident claimed the life of a police sub-inspector in 2022, accidental firing from PAC carbines created panic in 2025 and again on Saturday.Before Saturday’s incident, in which a PAC jawan’s carbine accidentally discharged and injured three florist shop workers near Gate 4B (Nandu Feria Gate) of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, a similar incident had occurred in the Bansphatak area between Godowlia crossing and Gate 4 of the temple in March 2025.An on-duty PAC jawan’s carbine accidentally went off after slipping from his shoulder. During the inquiry, it emerged that the jawan had stopped at a betel shop when the sling of his carbine suddenly snapped. The weapon fell to the ground and discharged, injuring the jawan in the eye and a worker at the well-known Banarasi betel shop in the thigh.In another incident in March 2022, an accidental firing claimed the life of sub-inspector Manish Singh, who was posted at Chitaipur police station. Singh was cleaning his service pistol at his residence in the Sarnath area when the weapon accidentally discharged, leaving him with critical injuries to his jaw and head. He succumbed to his injuries after battling for nine days at the Trauma Centre of BHU.
