Kolkata: A very old mortar shell was found embedded in the Damodar River bank in Sonamukhi of Bankura district which is estimated to be from World War-II. The police said on Tuesday that the Indian Army was informed about the matter soon after its discovery. The place where the mortar shell was found has been cordoned off for security reasons.
According to the police, a few local people saw the shell partially embedded in the Damodar River bank in Sonamukhi area of Bankura on Monday evening. It had never been noticed before.
Soon, a crowd gathered at the river bank as excitement arose over the development. The information soon reached the Sonamukhi police station through locals.
The officers cordoned off the mortar shell and informed the Indian Army. On Tuesday morning, Army officials inspected the mortal shell and the area surrounding it.
It is worth noting that the incident of recovering mortar shells used in the Second World War is not new in Bankura.
Earlier, there were cases of recovery of such metal objects filled with explosives in Dwarkeswar and Damodar.
A few months ago, three such mortar shells were found in the Dihipara area of Sonamukhi police station.
The Army went and deactivated them and now, another mortar shell has been found in the same area.
Professor Arunabha Bandyopadhyay, in-charge of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) at Bankura Christian College, said, “During World War-II, there was a base of the British and US Air Force in the area adjacent to Pierdoba in Bankura.
“Due to its strategic advantage, attacks were launched from that base on countries in Southeast Asia, including Japan. Some of the weapons stored in that base were later buried under soil or sand in various places. The recovery of mortar shells at different times still bears witness to that history.”
It may be noted that in October last year, the Army had defused a bomb used in World War-II in Bolpur area of Birbhum district. The impact of the explosion was so massive that tremors were felt in nearby villages.
The bomb was discovered by fishermen after they spotted an unknown cylinder-like metal object on the banks of the Ajay River in Laudah village under Bolpur police station. It was later learnt that it was a bomb from World War-II.
(IANS)
