A gas grenade, estimated to be at least 40 years old, was discovered during renovation work at a temple in Vadodara’s Mehboobpura area on Tuesday, triggering brief anxiety among local residents before police and bomb disposal experts confirmed it was inactive.
Temple trust members near Bhathiji Moholla, across from the Navapura police chowki, immediately alerted authorities after the steel bodied grenade was unearthed during digging work on the premises. Ashok Rathwa, Assistant Commissioner of Police for C Division, stated that the grenade design appears to be 40 to 50 years old, and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad confirmed it was inactive and dead.
The grenade bears visible marks of damage and mud from being buried underground for decades, making it remote that someone left it there recently. Police believe it may be a remnant from a riot that occurred over 40 years ago or part of an old police ammunition unit that may have been located at the spot. Another possibility is that the gas grenade was lobbed during a rioting incident decades ago and eventually became buried at the site.
While some local residents initially expressed concern that the grenade may have been placed or left behind recently, authorities ruled this out based on the condition and design of the device. The incident highlights how layers of history, including violent communal episodes, sometimes resurface unexpectedly during routine temple maintenance and urban development work in old city areas.
