Administrator
25 March 2026
*Picture and inputs courtesy socialnews.xyz and IANS.
The Indian Army personnel posted in Jharkhand have done what their counterparts in other states have not done. What?
The Subarnarekha River flows in this state. At Baharagora, a town in the Ghatshila subdivision of the East Singhbhum district of the state, the Army personnel defused one 227-kg World War II-era bomb in a controlled operation, reports IANS.
The report claimed that the defused bomb was dropped during World War II and had remained buried under layers of river sand for decades. “It came to light during sand excavation about five to six days ago, triggering panic among local residents and prompting swift action by the administration and security agencies.”
The same report states that the authorities were alerted after images of youths posing with the missile-like explosive went viral on social media, raising serious safety concerns.
“Taking immediate cognisance, the administration called in a specialised Indian Army team led by Lieutenant Colonel Dharmendra Singh and Captain Ayush Kumar Singh. The team conducted a detailed assessment of the bomb’s structure, condition, and the surrounding terrain before initiating the disposal process.”
The Army personnel guided by ‘standard safety protocols’, a 10-foot-deep pit was excavated using a JCB machine, and hundreds of sandbags were arranged to create a protective barrier to contain the impact of the blast. A 1.5-km radius around the site was cordoned off, and residents from nearby houses and fields were evacuated as a precaution.’
The report informed that the Army personnel, since Tuesday morning, had turned the area into a high-security zone, with personnel from the police, Jharkhand Jaguar, fire services, and health department deployed on-site. ‘Ambulances were kept ready, and all access routes to the river were barricaded to prevent civilian movement during the operation, the IANS report adds.
‘In the final phase, the Army’s bomb disposal squad neutralised the device through a carefully executed controlled blast. The operation concluded without any casualties or damage.’
‘Experts cautioned that even decades-old unexploded ordnance can remain highly volatile and pose significant risks if disturbed.’
The same report added that ‘another similar bomb was recovered from a nearby village, where locals had brought it home after finding it in the river. That device was also safely defused by the Army.’
‘For over a week, fear had gripped villages along the Subarnarekha River, disrupting daily activities and livestock movement. With the successful completion of the operation, normalcy is gradually returning, and residents have expressed relief.’
