A thirty-five-year-old man died in Madhya Pradesh’s Dindori district on a Tuesday after biting into a crude bomb disguised as a traditional Indian sweet.
The victim, Rajendra Barautiya, was gathered around a bonfire outside his home in Padariya Chhanta village when a fellow villager approached him with the explosive device, according to reports by The New Indian Express.
Local authorities said that rural communities in the region occasionally manufacture these homemade devices to kill wild boars. The traps typically consist of balls of dough packed with gunpowder sourced from firecrackers or quarries. However, the shape and texture closely resemble a rasgulla, a soft, round Indian dessert soaked in sugar syrup that is traditionally eaten whole.
Fatal Evening Conversation in Padariya Village
Rajendra Barautiya had finished dinner with his family at approximately 7 pm on Tuesday and was sitting near a fire in his courtyard. Ramabhagat Barautiya arrived around 8 pm and joined him for a casual conversation, as detailed by The New Indian Express. During the exchange, Ramabhagat allegedly handed Rajendra the pig-killer bomb, claiming it was a rasgulla.
Because it was dark, Rajendra could not clearly distinguish the object before putting it in his mouth and biting down. Kotwali police station in-charge Durga Prasad Nagpure explained the circumstances to NDTV.
“The moment he bit into it, the bomb exploded,” Nagpure told NDTV, noting that the powerful detonation left the victim with severe facial injuries.
Rajendra’s wife, Sushila Bai, recalled the chaotic moments immediately following the blast.
“It was a bomb used to kill animals. When we heard the blast, we urged our neighbours to help and brought him to the hospital in an autorickshaw,” Sushila Bai told NDTV.
Despite being rushed to the Dindori District Hospital, Rajendra succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
Police Investigation and Arrests
Following the incident, local law enforcement registered a case under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which addresses culpable homicide not amounting to murder, alongside Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act, The New Indian Express reported. Police subsequently arranged for a post-mortem examination at the district hospital’s mortuary before handing the body over to the grieving family.
Investigators have detained two individuals in connection with the blast, including Ramabhagat Barautiya. During initial police questioning, Ramabhagat claimed that another young boy had supplied him with the explosive device. Authorities subsequently located and detained the boy for questioning.
“We don’t know if the motive was to kill, or if it was a mischief. That is a matter of investigation,” police officer Rekha Singh told IOL.
Police are examining all potential motives, including the possibility of personal enmity between the accused parties and the victim’s neighbors, while continuing to investigate how the crude explosive materials were procured.
