Two screening staff injured as passenger’s gun goes off at Varanasi airport
Two airport staff members were injured at Varanasi's Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport when a passenger's licensed firearm accidentally discharged during a security check. The passenger had declared the weapon, and an investigation into the incident is currently underway.
Why it matters
Raises questions regarding airport security protocols and the handling of licensed firearms in public transit hubs.
Two workers involved in baggage screening were injured at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi on Sunday (August 16, 2026) when a passenger’s pistol went off accidentally.
In the morning, the Air India Express passenger, Kamlesh Rai, a resident of Azamgarh district, declared a licensed firearm (7.62 mm pistol with 21 live cartridges) at the check-in counter at the airport as required under the prescribed procedure. During the inspection of the weapon, it accidentally went off, and a bullet hit Rohit Raj and Suman Kumari, who were involved in in-line baggage screening. The woman was injured in her leg, and the man in his thumb, and both have been admitted to a private hospital.
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