World War II-era unexploded shell found in Assam’s Tinsukia, defused: Army

A suspected WWII-era unexploded shell was found in Assam’s Tinsukia near the Arunachal border and safely neutralised by the Indian Army, officials said.

An unexploded shell, suspected to be from the World War II era, was recovered from Assam’s Tinsukia district near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border on Wednesday and was successfully neutralised by the Indian Army, officials said on Friday.

Indian Army defused a suspected WWII-era shell found during excavation in Tinsukia.

The Army said in a statement that the unexploded ordnance (UXO), measuring around 12 inches in length and 6 inches in diameter, was recovered from the Ledo–Lekhapani area in Tinsukia district.

According to Army officials, the object, suspected to be a World War II-era shell, was initially discovered at Singri village under the Ledo police outpost when a local resident and his workers were digging near a shop.

“During the excavation, workers noticed a large metallic object buried underground and alerted authorities after suspecting it could be dangerous,” an official said.

Locals informed the police, following which a team, accompanied by security personnel, reached the site, cordoned off the area, and temporarily evacuated nearby residents as a precautionary measure.

The Indian Army’s Red Shield Division deployed a specialised bomb disposal team to the site on Thursday. They secured the entire area, evacuated civilians from the vicinity, and established a safety perimeter before safely transporting the shell for disposal.

The Ledo–Lekhapani belt in eastern Assam had a strategic role during World War II, when the area served as a key military logistics route connecting India to Burma through the historic Stilwell Road. “Given the region’s historical significance as part of the World War II-era Stilwell Road corridor and Allied military operations in the eastern sector, officials suspected the shell to be a wartime remnant,” the Army said.