Chitora: Goodness and bravery still survive in India’s villages. This was proved right again a week ago in a tiny village in Madhya Pradesh, central India.
After a bomb was found in the backyard of a local school at Chitora village in Sagar district, a constable picked it up with his bare hands and ran nearly a kilometer to deposit it at a spot far from human habitation.
The bomb was discovered on August 19 morning on the backyard of the government school, which nearly 170 km north of the state capital of Bhopal. Around 400 children attend the school.
After the police were informed, a team led by head constable Abhishek Patel turned up. There was no bomb disposal squad at hand. As the school authorities debated the way ahead, 40-year-old Patel picked up the 12-inch bomb, weighing around 10 kg, set it on his shoulder, and started running, ndtv.com reported.
“We got the information from Dial 100. Since it was a residential area and a school compound, my only aim was to carry the bomb as far away as possible from there,” Patel later told reporters. “We have learnt during our training that had it exploded, it would have damaged 500 meters of the surrounding area.”
It is not yet known where the bomb came from. A few days ago, a similar bomb was found in Bannad village in Sagar. The matter is under investigation.
“There is an army range close to the village. The police will investigate how the bomb reached the village,” said Satish Saxena, a senior officer of the local police.
The entire police team, along with Patel, will be rewarded for displaying exemplary courage, the officials said.