96 landmines unearthed in Meherpur defused

As many as 96 powerful anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines, believed to date back to the Liberation War in 1971, were unearthed during road repair work in Gangni upazila of Meherpur and subsequently defused.

A specialised bomb disposal unit of the Bangladesh Army safely defused all the mines on Monday afternoon, averting a potentially serious accident in the area.

The mines were first discovered on Saturday, while workers were digging soil for road repair in Betbaria village under Kazipur union.

Local resident Jadu Shah said soil had been dug from a raised piece of land beside the road and dumped on the road to facilitate the transportation of bricks for house construction.

Following recent rains, part of the soil was washed away, exposing a plastic toolbox and several objects resembling landmines.

The discovery sparked panic and curiosity among local residents.

On receiving the information, a team from Gangni police station rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area and restricted public access to prevent any untoward incident. The army and its bomb disposal unit were subsequently informed.

The area remained cordoned off until the arrival of the bomb disposal team.

The recovery and disposal operation was conducted from 3pm to 4:30pm on Monday in coordination with the army and local administration.

The bomb disposal unit of Engineer Battalion-3 under the Army's 55 Infantry Division, Jashore, conducted the operation.

The team, led by Major Tariqul Islam, recovered 79 anti-personnel mines and 17 anti-tank mines, along with the plastic toolbox.

The explosives were subsequently taken to a safe location near the Madhugari River, where they were successfully disposed of.

Local resident Monzur Hossain Toki said the Bangarir Math area in Tekala village, near the Indian border in Daulatpur upazila, was one of the significant battlefields during the Liberation War.

He said the mines were believed to have been buried during the war to prevent the advance of Pakistani forces or to facilitate ambushes against them.

The discovery of a large cache of live explosives more than five decades after the Liberation War has raised concerns among local residents.

However, residents expressed relief after the army successfully neutralised the mines.

The timely intervention of the police, army and local administration helped avert what could have been a major accident in the area.

When asked about the matter, the army official present at the site said that since such a large number of mines had been found in one location, further searches could potentially uncover more.

He added that the authorities are considering the possibility of conducting a more extensive search in the area.