Army & Police In Custody Tussle Over Major Who Shot Junior At Pulgaon Range

Nagpur/Wardha: A day after Major Manan Tiwari shot a junior commissioned officer, Subedar Major Om Bahadur Khand, during a routine firing practice at Asia's largest ammunition depot in Pulgaon, a high-stakes custody battle erupted between the army and Wardha police.Army officials are consulting their Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch to proceed with court-martial formalities, emphasising internal disciplinary mechanisms and the need to protect operational secrecy at the sensitive Central Ammunition Depot (CAD), said top sources. An Army spokesperson, however, described the incident as an "accidental discharge" during routine practice and stated both the Army and police are jointly investigating.However, Wardha police remained sceptical, pointing to the close-range burst of fire as inconsistent with "accidental discharge". Police are pushing for formal custody of Major Tiwari for detailed interrogation to establish the full sequence of events and any possible motive, said top police sources. No immediate evidence of prior enmity has surfaced.After the JCO fell to a burst of fire while picking empty cartridges at the firing range on Friday, fellow soldiers had quickly restrained Major Tiwari and placed him in Army custody. "Police are trying to access Tiwari's medical records and history. It is learnt he suffered from a blood-related illness and needs frequent transfusion, which may have induced mental disbalance. He was violent even after the shooting and abused seniors," said a top source.Wardha Police, who rushed to the high-security military installation, had to follow strict defence protocols before accessing the crime scene. Major Tiwari had shot the JCO with a 5.56mm INSAS assault rifle on Friday. Eyewitness Lance Naik Bir Singh Dhami had described the horrifying scene in his eyewitness account to Pulgaon police, stating Khand's skull had blown up in the impact.Legal experts cited Section 521 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) — successor to CrPC Section 475 — which gives clear priority to military authorities in cases involving serving Armed Forces personnel. The provision states that when a person subject to Army law is brought before a magistrate, the latter shall, in proper cases, deliver him to the commanding officer for trial by court-martial.According to a senior legal expert, "The Army gets priority and can secure custody first directly or via Magistrate's mandatory assistance. Police custody, if it happens at all, is only initial or transitory. The law is designed to route the accused to military custody and court-martial in most cases, involving serving armed forces personnel." Police sources confirmed that after formal correspondence with Army authorities, the accused will be handed over to them for further investigation.On Saturday, an autopsy was conducted at Wardha General Hospital in the presence of the JCO Khand's relatives, district surgeon and police officials. The autopsy report confirmed death due to multiple gunshot wounds. As per protocol, the body was handed over to relatives in the presence of Army officers.Subedar Major Om Bahadur Khand, belonged to the Defence Security Corps, which re-employs retired personnel for guarding critical installations.