Sixteen mortar shells, reportedly carried by floodwaters down the Teesta river following a cloudburst and flash flood in Sikkim last week, have been defused in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. This comes after twenty mortar shells were deactivated the day before. The joint efforts of the police and the Army led to the recovery and defusal of these shells in the Chengmari Gram Panchayat area.
According to Officer-in-Charge Mansuruddin of the Kranti Police Outpost, it is believed that the mortar shells belonged to the Army and were swept away by the floodwater from the hills into the river. The decision to take action was made after a mortar shell caused fatalities and injuries in the district when it exploded after supposedly drifting downstream.
The search operation will continue as a total of 36 mortar shells have been defused over the past two days. The police officer emphasized the need for ongoing efforts in ensuring the safety of the area.
