Two active bombs, suspected to be from the World War II era, were defused in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district by Indian Army personnel on Wednesday.
A 200-kg bomb, resembling a gas cylinder, was discovered during sand excavation along the Panipada–Nagudsai stretch in the Baharagora area last week. Another similar cylindrical device was recovered from a villager’s house during a follow-up inspection on Monday.
Deputy Commissioner Karn Satyarthi told news agency PTI that the explosives, stuffed into metallic cylinder-shaped containers, were defused within a gap of 30 minutes of each other.
Security was tightened during the proceedings. While no damage to property or injury has been reported in the operation, people have been asked not to go near the spot for the next 24 hours as a precautionary measure.
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"We sealed a one-km area around the spot for security reasons when the 23rd Infantry Division of the Indian Army, in coordination with the Jharkhand Police, began the operation to detonate the explosives this morning," the DC was quoted as saying.
The explosives were placed in a trench about 25–30 feet deep, excavated near the site, and then covered with sandbags to reduce the risk of damage during the operation.
"We will try to ensure that a complete investigation is held to confirm whether more such explosives exist in that area. If any more explosives of this nature are found near the spot, the administration will take those under its custody and initiate necessary action for deactivation," he said when asked about the origin of the bombs.
