WWII relics unearthed during construction in Manipur’s Imphal West

Construction workers in Manipur’s Imphal West district unearthed a cache of relics believed to date back to World War II while digging at a construction site in Langthabal on Tuesday morning, officials said.

The items were discovered approximately four feet underground and include rusted empty shell cases, water bottles, a hand grenade, spades, tin cans, and other military remnants. The relics are suspected to have belonged to Allied soldiers who fought in the historic Battle of Imphal in 1944.

Officials noted that the discovery site is near Canchipur hills, where the Allied forces had established a significant military camp during the war. The area played a key role in the defence against Imperial Japanese troops, who had surrounded the hills of Manipur but failed to penetrate Allied positions in the Imphal Valley.

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The Battle of Imphal, fought in conjunction with the Battle of Kohima, marked a turning point in the Burma Campaign. It involved Japanese forces, the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj), and British-led Allied troops. The battles are widely regarded as among the most decisive engagements of World War II in the Asian theatre.

The confrontation saw heavy casualties, with over 54,000 Japanese troops killed or wounded and more than 12,000 Allied soldiers dead or injured.

Authorities are expected to examine the recovered relics further and may involve historical experts to authenticate and possibly preserve the items.