16/07/2024 India, Bengala Occidentale
“If you ever come across anything suspicious like this item, please do not pick it up, contact your local law and/or enforcement agency for assistance”
Written by Neha Banka
On a July morning, 108 year-old Mahadev Sahu sits on the small porch of his home in West Bengal’s Jhargram district, recalling the day some eight decades ago, when he was out working in cucumber fields as a young man who had begun helping out in the farms. The Second World War had started a few years earlier in 1939, and its impact was felt all the way in Sahu’s small village, in the heart of the Indian subcontinent. The war years would have been left embedded deep inside Sahu’s memory if it were not for the unexpected discovery of an undetonated bomb that was found in Bhulanpur village on June 22, a stone’s throw away from his home, by the banks of the Subarnarekha River. The undetonated bomb was discovered by happenstance, says Shibsankar Senapati, a resident of the nearby Panch Kahania village who has been keenly observing the developments since. “A few workers were using JCB excavators to level an agricultural field when they found the bomb. They took photographs of it and news spread,” he says. Crowds from neighbouring villages began to gather and the nearest police station, in Gopiballavpur, was informed. “We approached the IAF (Indian Air Force) for help as the CID (Crime Investigation Department) said it seemed to be a weapons-grade munition,” Arijit Sinha, Superintendent of Police, Jhargram, had told The Indian Express. For public safety, the local police began evacuating residents in a 1-km radius of the site where the bomb had been found. “Security is necessary to prevent locals from playing with the bombs, because usually villagers try to break open the bomb and steal precious metals like brass, which leads to casualties. The police prevented people from touching the bomb out of curiosity,” a source familiar with the operation tells indianexpress.com on the condition of anonymity.
Photo-Source: indianexpress.com
Dear editors, Biographie einer Bombe is aimed at highlighting the danger caused by unexploded bombs. Moreover, the most important aspect is that we work completely non profit, what drives us is raising awerness about this topic. We make use of your pictures and articles, but we need them to put a context in how findings are done. We trust in your understanding. We will (and we always do) cite the source and the author. We thank you for your comprehension.
