A mortar smoke bomb, thought to date back to the 1962 Indo-China war, was found in a riverbed in Assam’s Sonitpur district, a senior police officer said on Saturday.
The explosive device, discovered in the Dhekiajuli area, was safely detonated with assistance from Army personnel, he noted.
Barun Purkayastha, Superintendent of Police in Sonitpur, explained that the two-inch-long bomb was uncovered by a resident of Jougapur village while fishing in the Sesa river on Friday evening.
“The location is under the jurisdiction of Missamari police station. The bomb is likely of Chinese origin and from the 1962 war,” he said.
The conflict took place in Arunachal Pradesh, which is adjacent to Assam.
Mortar smoke bombs are a type of ammunition used for various purposes, such as creating a smoke screen to avoid enemy fire or to block enemy reconnaissance and surveillance.
“It was safely detonated by an Army team from Missamari camp, led by Lt. Col. Abhijit Mishra,” the SP added.
