A mystery has surfaced in a village near Bolpur in Birbhum district of West Bengal following the recovery of a live World War II-era bomb.
Although the Army personnel posted at a nearby base successfully defused the bomb recovered from Laudaha village near Bolpur, which houses the iconic Visva Bharati University founded by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, questions have arisen about how the bomb was brought to that spot and remained unattended for so long.
The Army personnel defused the bomb on Wednesday by safely detonating it. The impact of the explosion was so massive that tremors were felt in nearby villages.
It is learnt that local fishermen first noticed an unknown cylinder-like metal object on the banks of the Ajay River in Laudaha village under the Bolpur police station about a month ago. However, initially, they did not give it much importance, and eventually, the matter was brought to the notice of the police.
The area was cordoned off, and the police asked local residents not to go near the site. Later, Army officials were informed, who conducted inspections before deciding to defuse the bomb. It was neutralised under the supervision of the Central forces. It was surprising to see that even over 80 years after World War II, the bomb was still active.
“The bomb was defused yesterday in the presence of Army officials. There was panic in the area since the bomb was discovered. We had cordoned off the area for the safety of others. The situation has now improved after the bomb was neutralised,” said a senior officer of the Birbhum district police on Thursday morning.
It may be recalled that last year, another World War II bomb was recovered in Jhargram district. A cylindrical object was found while digging in the soil in Bhulanpur village of Gopiballabhpur police station in Jhargram. On receiving the news, administrative officials went to the spot. The area was cordoned off, and the bomb squad also arrived. Later, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on social media that the bomb was successfully defused.
It is learnt that during World War II, an airstrip was built in Jhargram for fighter planes to land. It is said that various fighter planes would drop bombs in that area to reduce weight.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
