39 Bombs from World War II Found in Manipur

Imphal, April 6: In all 39 explosives likely to be from the Second World War era have reportedly been unearthed by volunteers of Kounu Lairembi Thougal Lup, Chirang during a clean-up campaign at the foothills of Kounu Hill range. 

Briefing media persons at senjam Chirang Youth Club premise today, Lup vice president W Jotin said about 30 volunteers carried out a sanitation campaign from april 1 to 3 in search of a mystical cave at the hill range. 

while the cave could not be traced, the volunteers, upon overturning some boulders, found a number of bombs likely to have been dropped/left during the World War-II as well as a damaged dagger and an iron pipe in rusty shape, he said and informed that the discovered items were brought down to Senjam Chirang village on March 3 morning.

Jotin also quoted elderly Kabui and Kuki villagers settled on the Kounu Hill range as saying that a plane had crashed at the hill range during the world War-II. Informing that Kounu Hill range is about 9 kilometres from Senjam Chirang village, he maintained that many of the bombs weigh between 2 and 5 kgs with some having the words ‘Booster MZ0A1 ROP 1942 Lot 3.6965229’ inscribed at the bottom. 

Further stating that bomb experts and Archive Department authorities would be intimated about the discovery, Jotin said further research would be sustained by the volunteers to develop the hill range as a tourist spot in addition to protecting many sites considered sacred by Senjam Chirang villagers.

Manipur was a part of the battle theatre in South East Asia as the Japanese troops were pushed back after the ‘battle of Imphal’ during WWII. Incidentally the Indian National Army flag was unfurled for the first time at Moirang by Colonel Shaukat Hayat Malik, commander of the Bahadur Group on April 14, 1944 and it was from this headquarters that the Japanese army chalked out their battle strategies against the allied forces. Presently the explosives are kept at the complex of the local club and the police have already inspected the bombs.