Dumdum
[key], four towns in Suburban Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal state, E
central India. South Dumdum is a residential area of the
northern edge of metropolitan Kolkata, while North Dumdum
contains several large rural enclaves. The Dumdum Aerodrome
Area is the site of Kolkata's international airport. The town of
Dumdum, founded in 1783, has iron- and steelworks, glass
and soap factories, and engineering works. In the 19th cent. its arsenal was
the first to manufacture lead-nosed bullets that spread on impact,
inflicting a tearing wound. In 1905, Great Britain acceded to the
prohibition of dumdum bullets adopted by the first Hague Conference in
1899.
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