Six including one minor boy hurt in IED attack
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, July 12 2014 :
At least six passengers including a 6-year-old boy, who were travelling in an auto-rickshaw, were wounded when a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off at Langthabal Kunja Mayai Leikai along Imphal-Moreh road section of National Highway-2 in Imphal West on Saturday morning.
Among the injured, three including the minor boy are now undergoing treatment at Shija Hospitals and Research Institute, Langol in critical condition.
Reports said the explosion took place around 9:25 am.
Unidentified persons triggered the bomb 25 minutes after the convoy of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh passed the site.
The Chief Minister was on his way to Chandel district to inaugurate the newly constructed Mini Secretariat complex there.
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The unknown assailants planted the IED over a banyan tree.
At the time of the blast, a foot patrol party of 40 Assam Rifles posted at Canchipur was heading towards Lilong side after all the security personnel including Manipur Police commandos deployed on ROP duty in connection with the visit of the Chief Minister to Chandel left.
The attackers set off the bomb as the passenger service diesel auto-rickshaw, which was coming from Thoubal district's Ushoipokpi reached the spot, wounding six passengers including a 6-year-old boy and the driver, police sources said.
They said the AR personnel were only a few steps away from the site when the attack occurred.
Police said it appeared that the bomb was targeting the personnel of 40 AR and not the Chief Minister's convoy.
Meanwhile, the injured victims have been identified as Md Allauddin (45), driver of the auto-rickshaw, who is a resident of Lilong Chingkham Maning Leikai in Thoubal district; Ziaul Rahman (20), resident of Lilong Chabok Mairen Khun; Asem Bijoy (45), who hails from Khekman Awang Leikai in Thoubal district, Thongam Leibakmacha (62), and his 6-year-old son named Th Premchand, also from Khekman Awang Leikai.
Police said they believed the bomb was an IED, and added that a team of police bomb experts have collected all the splinters of the bomb from the site for further investigation.
DGP of Manipur Police, Shahid Ahmed, IG (LO-I), Clay Khongsai, DIG (Range-I) in-charge DIG (Range-IV), Kh Chandramani, Superintendant of Police, Imphal West, Dr AK Jhalajit and other police officials rushed to the site after hearing news about the blast to assess the situation.