The Indian Army said on Thursday that it had not conducted any firing exercise at its field firing range in Bihar’s Gaya district a day ago and suspected that the death of three people in a village there could have happened during an effort to collect metal scrap from a “blind” or unspent mortar shell.

“We did not conduct any firing exercise on March 8 as it was a holiday on the occasion of Holi. The collection of remains of artillery shells and blind shells by locals has been continuing in an unauthorised manner for a long time. The photographs of the explosion suggest that it was from a mortar shell that people might have been trying to prise open to collect metal as scrap for sale,” Danapur cantonment administrative commandant D.S. Chauhan, who issued a statement, told The Telegraph.

The statement said: “Mortar firing was not done at the Deuri Dumri firing range on March 8. We extend all support and assistance to the district administration to investigate the cause of the tragedy.” Gaya district magistrate Thiyagarajan S.M. asked the army to stop conducting all types of firing exercises within his jurisdiction and set up a five-member team to probe the incident. A forensic team of Bihar police has been engaged in the investigation.

“Three people have been killed. This is a very serious issue. I talked to the ‘range alerting officer’ of the army based in Ranchi and also the brigadier stationed here. Though they have denied conducting any firing exercises here, I requested to immediately stop all types of firing exercises in the Gaya district. The army officers have agreed and assured all cooperation in the probe,” Thiyagarajan said.