Imphal, August 30: The shadows of World War-2 still linger in Manipur. This week, a 45 kg unexploded artillery shell, buried for more than eight decades, resurfaced in Thoubal district before being safely neutralised by police bomb experts.
The shell came to light on August 28 when soil unloaded from a tipper truck at Khangabok Part-3 Makha Leikai revealed the ordnance. The earth, collected from the Heirok riverbank, was being used for domestic purposes when the discovery alarmed locals.
Security forces swiftly cordoned off the area, and a case was registered at Thoubal police station. The Bomb Disposal Squad later transported the munition to Langathel Chingol, where it was destroyed under controlled conditions.
“It was a powerful shell that could have caused devastation. Timely detection prevented a possible tragedy,” a police officer involved in the operation said.
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For many in Manipur, such finds are stark reminders of the state’s central role in the Asia-Pacific theatre of WW-II. The Battle of Imphal (1944) fought in the very valleys where today’s villages stand pitched Japanese and Indian National Army troops against Allied forces in one of the fiercest campaigns of the Burma front.
“Manipur is a living museum of the Second World War,” noted an Imphal-based historian. “The Imphal Valley witnessed everything from dogfights in the skies to artillery bombardments and ground combat. It is inevitable that relics continue to emerge.”
The Thoubal incident follows last month’s unearthing of WW-II relics in Imphal West, where workers stumbled upon ammunition cases, grenades, spades, water bottles, and a corroded metal box.
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Authorities have reiterated safety protocols, urging residents not to handle suspicious metallic objects. “Mark the site, step away, and inform the nearest police station immediately,” district officials advised.
(Newmai News Network)