Overview

• On July 22, labourers excavating in Langthabal, Imphal West district, uncovered rusted ammunition casings, a grenade, water bottles and other World War II relics about four feet below ground.
• Officials attribute the finds to Allied troops stationed near Canchipur hills during the 1944 Battle of Imphal against the Imperial Japanese Army.
• The recovered artefacts have been transferred to the Manipur Archaeology Department for conservation and detailed study.
• Authorities have launched expanded archaeological excavations at the site with military historians, archaeologists and the Second World War Imphal Campaign Foundation assisting.
• Discussions are under way to exhibit the items at the Imphal War Museum to commemorate the region’s pivotal role in halting the Japanese advance.