3 min readPuneJun 10, 2026 05:25 PM IST
A 20-year-old contractual labourer engaged in a construction project at the Ammunition Factory, Khadki (AFK), died due to critical injuries he sustained in an unexplained blast on Monday. He was among a team of civilian workers tasked with building a toilet block within the factory premises. The police and authorities at the AFK have launched probes into the explosion the exact cause of which remains unknown.
Officials from Khadki police station said the incident took place around 3.30 pm on Monday at a construction site of a toilet block near the artillery section of the factory. Police identified the deceased as Kartik Burman (20) from West Bengal. “Our initial information suggests some temporary civilian contractual labourers were working at the site. At the time of the incident the deceased was alone at the spot. Some excavation has been done at the location. Suddenly an explosion took place and Burman sustained multiple serious injuries. He was rushed to a private hospital. He succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday morning.” said an officer from Khadki police station.
The officer added, “We have not been able to ascertain what exactly caused the explosion or even what exploded. It could be old unexploded ammunition which was found buried at the excavation site or it could be something he found on the factory premises. There were no other individuals present at the location at the time. Despite the explosion, glass panes of a window nearby have remained intact. This suggests it was a low intensity blast.”
When contacted, Vikramsingh Kadam, in-charge of Khadki police said, “We are investigating the exact cause of the explosion. The AFK has also started conducting an internal probe.”
This is not the first time accidents have occured at the AFK. In June 2017, two workers had lost their lives in an accident that took place during the transfer of explosives at the AFK. In October 2017, a worker was critically injured and lost his fingers in an accident. In 2019, another worker sustained severe injuries to the chest and also lost fingers in an explosion in the grenade making section of the factory. In 2022, an AFK who had sustained grievous injuries in an accident that took place during the process of drying explosives succumbed during treatment over a week later.
AFK, which is one of the oldest of factories under the erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board is now under preview of the Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) Munitions India Limited (MIL). The Pune headquartered MIL is a cluster of 12 factories producing ammunition and explosives for military and civilian authorities and also customers from foreign countries.
