Wound Ballistic Study in Varanasi Region

Introduction A firearm is a convenient method of destroying human life from a distance and at the same time allowing easy escape to the assailant. Locally made illegal firearms are commonly encountered in criminal cases in India and other developing countries as they are cheap and easily available to criminals. Though in western countries, suicidal firearm injury is very common, in this region of the world, it is usually used in homicide cases. The alarming increase in trend of using firearm for committing homicide has led to need of study of firearm and related cases in Varanasi region. Material and method The study was carried out in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University on 54 victims of fatal firearm injuries brought to the autopsy room of the department. Conclusion Despite the extent and consequences of these injuries worldwide, a systemic collection of local data on firearm morbidity and mortality is lacking, the current study helps in establishing such data for this region.