Panic in Ballia village as kids fish mortar shell out of pond

Varanasi: Panic gripped Gangapur village under Maniyar police station in Ballia district on Tuesday after some children found a rusted mortar shell while digging silt from an old pond. Bearing the mark of a moon and star, it appeared to be a Pakistani mortar shell. Police isolated the area and started an investigation.After seeking report from Ballia SP on Wednesday, ADG Varanasi zone Piyush Mordia said, “Some children of Gangapur village were extracting mud and fishing at an old pond around 5 pm on Tuesday when they found a mortar shell.Maniyar police reached the spot and called forensic science lab experts after isolating the area in the vicinity of the pond.”To complete the standard operating procedure, a bomb disposal squad of Army from Barabanki reached Ballia on Wednesday, said ADG.On Tuesday evening, scores of children in Gangapur village on the Bansdeeh-Maniyar road were busy fishing in a pond near an old brick kiln when they discovered the mortar shell. Mistaking it for an ordinary object, the children took it to a scrap dealer intending to sell it, but the latter advised them to inform the police.News spread rapidly across the area, drawing large crowds to the spot, triggering rumours. Maniyar station house officer Ajay Tripathi and his team isolated the entire area and restricted movement of people within a radius of 200 metres.