In the third such instance this year, an Indian Air Force fighter plane managed to drop a bomb on Indian territory, this time miraculously missing the Indira Gandhi Canal that is a lifeline for millions in western Rajasthan and Punjab. A Mirage-2000 aircraft that took off from Gwalior on a routine exercise, mistimed an operation and dropped a 100-pound bomb 12 km from Mohangarh town in Jaisalmer district on Monday night. It was sheer chance that the bomb exploded some 100 feet from the Indira Gandhi Canal. Though the boundary of the canal was damaged, a large chunk of the canal could have breached had the projectile fallen a little closer, flooding nearby towns. A 100-pound bomb can cause damage to life and property up to 200 feet from the spot of explosion.
Confirming the incident, spokesman for the South-Western Air Command Group Captain Manoj Mehta said, “The aircraft had taken off from Gwalior as part of a routine exercise on Monday evening and was to drop the bomb at a target in Chandhan Range, 25 km away from the place where the bomb actually fell.’’ The Pakistan border is 60 km from Mohangarh town. Two other small villages, Hasam Ki Dhani and Hameed Nada, are barely 1 km from the site of the explosion.
The bomb created a 25-feet-wide crater and over 80 trees were burnt.
Confirming the incident, spokesman for the South-Western Air Command Group Captain Manoj Mehta said, “The aircraft had taken off from Gwalior as part of a routine exercise on Monday evening and was to drop the bomb at a target in Chandhan Range, 25 km away from the place where the bomb actually fell.’’ The Pakistan border is 60 km from Mohangarh town. Two other small villages, Hasam Ki Dhani and Hameed Nada, are barely 1 km from the site of the explosion.
The bomb created a 25-feet-wide crater and over 80 trees were burnt.
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