31 live bombs found stacked in a row in Bengal's Birbhum, area sealed
Panic gripped West Bengal's Birbhum after locals discovered 31 live bombs stacked near a bamboo grove on Friday morning, prompting police to seal the area and call in the Bomb Disposal Squad.
Panic spread in Bengal's Birbhum on Friday morning after locals discovered 31 live bombs stacked near a bamboo grove.
Villagers spotted the explosives near the pond bank and alerted the police. A large police contingent soon reached the area, sealed off the site and began security measures to prevent any untoward incident.
Police sources confirmed that around 31 live bombs were recovered from the field. Authorities sealed the entire area for safety, while the Bomb Disposal Squad was called in to defuse the explosives.
“Bombs or palmyra fruits? The sight will leave your eyes spinning,” a villager who first noticed the pile said, describing the scene.
The recovery triggered fear and panic among residents of Kot village. With the state elections having recently concluded, the discovery of such a large cache of live bombs has raised alarm and speculation in the area.
Police have launched an investigation to identify who stockpiled the bombs and for what purpose. Search operations are currently underway in and around the village.
The incident comes amid continuing political volatility in West Bengal following the Assembly election results declared on May 4, in which the BJP secured a major victory by winning 207 seats.
Since the results were announced, several districts across the state have witnessed political clashes, bomb attacks, vandalism and retaliatory violence, with both the BJP and the TMC accusing each other of fuelling unrest.
The latest recovery follows a major incident in Howrah and violence in Panihati in North 24 Parganas, where five BJP supporters suffered injuries after unidentified attackers allegedly hurled crude bombs at them late on Wednesday night.
The attack reportedly took place near St Xavier’s Institution when BJP workers were interacting with local residents. According to police, motorcycle-borne assailants threw bombs at the group before fleeing the scene.
The Panihati incident occurred only hours after Chandranath Rath, a personal assistant of senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead in Madhyamgram.