WWII Japanese bomb detonated in West Bengal's Jhargram
Times of India | 6 July 2024
JHARGRAM: On June 29, while some digging work was on in Jhargram's Bhulanpur village, workers unearthed a large cylindrical object. Soon, a crowd gathered around it and everyone had an opinion about what it could be. It was only when cops from Gopiballavpur police station arrived at the spot that it became clear that the discovery was a Japanese bomb, from the days of World War II.
On Thursday, police and a special Air Force unit detonated the bomb.A large police force was deployed in the area and about 5,000 sandbags were used. Villagers were evacuated from around a 1-km radius of the detonation site. The explosion left a two-feet deep crater in the ground.
"We could only see smoke and hear a loud blast," said a villager, almost disheartened that he couldn't witness the historical event.
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Friday posted on X: "Yesterday, it came to our notice that an undetonated bomb of World War II was found in an open field in village Bhulanpur, Gopiballavpur in Jhargram district. State government machinery including police and also air force immediately swung into action. Public from nearby areas were shifted to safe & secure place. Thereafter it was safely and successfully diffused. I thank everyone involved for the good work done."
Interestingly, in 2018, a 1000-pound bomb - believed to be from World War II - was discovered during a routine excavation at Netaji Subhas dock, located on the eastern banks of the Hooghly.