Five mortar shells, likely from 17th century, found in Red Fort

In a rare recovery, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found three boxes of ammunition deep from a well in the historic Red Fort here.

The boxes contained five mortar shells believed to have been made about 200 years ago.

The discovery was made by the ASI staff on Sunday morning during its cleanliness drive in the 17th century fort that is on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

The explosives were removed by the National Security Guard from the site on Monday.

The information about the explosives in three boxes was given by the ASI to Central Industrial Security Force personnel deployed at the Red Fort. The CISF subsequently informed the Delhi Police.

"We found that the boxes contained five mortar shells and informed the Delhi Police. It appears that the mortar shells were about 200 years old," CISF Public Relations Officer Manjeet Singh told IANS.

"A security guard posted at the fort called up the Control Room and informed it about a strange looking object which contained ammunition. It was a box. Two other similar boxes were also found," Daljeet Singh, ASI Superintending Archaeolgoist, told IANS.

He said boxes were covered by several layers of earth, indicating that they had been there for many years.

Singh said the discovery of explosive material created some panic among the staff as there was a fear of explosion.

After being informed by the CISF, the Delhi Police cordoned off the area. Subsequently, Special Weapons and Tactics Team, dog squad and forensic experts were sent to the spot.

The Delhi Police officials said they combed the area to see if there were any more ammunition.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jatin Narwal said that the Army and the National Security Guard personnel were informed about the explosives and they inspected the area on Monday.

"The operations to remove/defuse the explosives from the site have been undertaken by the NSG teams today," he said.

Officials said forensic and scientific analysis will also be performed to ascertain when the mortar shells had been made.

--IANS

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