World War II-era mortar shell found on Damodar riverbank in Bengal, Army alerted

A suspected mortar shell dating back to World War II has been found partially embedded in the bank of the Damodar River in West Bengal's Bankura district, prompting police to cordon off the area and alert the Indian Army.

The old explosive object was spotted by local residents in Sonamukhi on Monday evening. According to police, the shell had been lying partially buried along the riverbank and had not been noticed earlier.

News of the discovery quickly drew curious onlookers to the spot before local residents alerted the Sonamukhi police station.

Police personnel subsequently secured the area around the object as a precaution and informed the Army. Army officials visited the site on Tuesday morning to inspect the suspected mortar shell and examine the surrounding area.

Not the first World War II explosive recovery in Bankura

The latest discovery is not an isolated incident for Bankura. Several suspected explosive devices believed to be from the Second World War have surfaced in different parts of the district over the years, including areas around the Dwarkeswar and Damodar rivers.

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Just a few months ago, three mortar shells were recovered from the Dihipara area under Sonamukhi police station limits. The Army later intervened and deactivated them.

The recovery of another suspected World War II-era shell from the same broader region has once again drawn attention to Bankura's wartime history.

How did World War II weapons end up in West Bengal’s Bankura?

Professor Arunabha Bandyopadhyay, in-charge of the National Cadet Corps at Bankura Christian College, linked the repeated discoveries to military activity in the region during World War II.

According to him, the British and US Air Forces had a base in the area adjacent to Pierdoba in Bankura during the war. The location was strategically important, with operations launched from the base towards countries in Southeast Asia, including Japan.

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Bandyopadhyay said some weapons stored at the base were later buried beneath soil or sand in different locations, with the recovery of mortar shells decades later continuing to offer reminders of that period.

Similar World War II bomb discovery reported in Bengal last year

West Bengal has witnessed similar discoveries in the past.

In October last year, the Army defused a World War II-era bomb recovered from the Bolpur area of Birbhum district. The explosive was discovered after fishermen spotted a cylinder-shaped metal object on the bank of the Ajay River in Laudah village under Bolpur police station.

The subsequent controlled explosion was reportedly powerful enough for tremors to be felt in nearby villages.

The latest discovery in Bankura has now revived curiosity over the wartime remnants that continue to emerge from beneath riverbanks and soil decades after World War II ended.

With IANS inputs