4 ancient stone idols recovered from pond

BALURGHAT: At least four ancient stone idols were recovered from a pond in a village at Kushmandi on Tuesday.

The idols were found at the time of digging of the pond located in Minapara village which is around 82 km from here.

Police from Kushmandi police station recovered one of the idols from the clutches of the villagers and kept them in their custody. The three idols were placed in a temple for puja offerings by the villagers.

Sources said three of them were Lord Bishnu idols while the fourth one was not identified. After convincing the locals, police managed to take one idol in its custody. Police said the three idols would be recovered soon from the villagers.

Local administration will send the idols to the museum in Balurghat soon.

Deputy magistrate of Gangarampur subdivision Manotosh Mondal said the villagers found the idols from the pond of a village located in Kushmandi.

"Three idols were placed in a temple by the villagers. We will contact the archaeological department regarding the matter too so that the idols can be sent to Balurghat museum for preservation," Mondal said.