Cabbage fitted IED found at Th Joykishan's flag hoisting site at Thangmeiband
AC Alert CRPF men avert potential disaster
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 16, 2012:
Timely detection of a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) by personnel of A Company 44 Bn CRPF today prevented what could have been a disastrous incident.
The proscribed PREPAK, which is a constituent unit of CorCom has claimed responsibility for planting the bomb.
Deployed on area domination duty near their temporary camp at Khoyathong Tombisana High School campus, one of the CRPF personnel namely Constable Ashok Kumar spotted some wires underneath a crumbled RCC stair of the local pond in Khoyathong Polem Leikai.
The CRPF man is said to have initially spotted light fumes emanating from under the stair and realised that it was an explosive device on closer inspection.
On being informed a team of police bomb squad arrived at the site and removed the IED.
When contacted some officials of the CRPF company told The Sangai Express that the IED contained about 500 grams RDX with several bolts and nails, powerful enough to kill or maim many people.
The IED was found wrapped in a sliced/hollow cabbage tucked under a crumbled step of the stair on the eastern side of the local pond.
|
Senapati bus parking is located barely 30 metres from the spot where the IED was found at around 11 am.
A large number of civilians were also present around the pond in connection with the flag hoisting ceremony of Khumukcham Joykisan, a Trinamool Congress candidate in Thangmeiband AC for the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly election.
A blast at the election 'welcome gate' of Joykisan on January 10 had wounded atleast six persons.
At around the same time as the Khoyathong incident, another IED exploded close to the residence of another Trinamool Congress candidate namely Pangambam Premananda of Naharup Mayai Leikai.
The bomb exploded at the Iril river bank near the candidate's residence where a large number of people had gathered in connection with the flag hoisting ceremony.
Premananda will be contesting the State Assembly election from Kshetrigao AC.
Preparation was on for a public meeting at the local ground when the explosion occurred.
There is no report of any casualty or injury in the blast.
Experts opined that the river embankment and bamboo grove at the explosion site contained impact of the blast.