Cop suffers eye injury after cracker hits him

A careless bursting of firecrackers during a Ganesha procession in northern Bengaluru’s RT Nagar on Monday left a police officer with a severe eye injury.

Narayanappa, an assistant sub-inspector posted at the RT Nagar police station, had stopped by when the procession passed along RT Nagar Main Road. He suffered a severe damage to the retina on his right eye. A local youth association had organised the Ganesha procession near the RT Nagar post office although the police hadn’t given permission for setting up a Ganesha idol, a source in the RT Nagar police station told DH.

Local youths burst firecrackers on the busy road as part of the procession. Narayanappa rushed to the spot and stood by. A burning firecracker hit him in the right eye. His colleagues rushed him to the Narayana Nethralaya on West of Chord Road.

A doctor said the policeman suffered a thermal injury on the retina. “As the eye has become opaque due to the burn, we have allowed it to heal. We are yet to assess any damage to the optical nerve as he was hit by a blunt object,” a senior retina specialist said.

Police have detained two people who had organised the procession.