2 AR men, 1 civilian killed in blast
Another 5 AR personnel and 2 women hurt
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, September 28 2012: AT LEAST two Assam Rifles personnel and one civilian were killed while another five AR personnel and two women sustained injuries when seven bombs suspected to be planted by MPA, the army wing of the proscribed UNLF, went off simultaneously at Kwatha Khunou Lamkhai under Moreh Police station in Chandel district today.

Kwatha Khunou Lamkhai is located about 1 km from Kwatha village and 18 kms northeast of Moreh Police Station.

The blasts occurred at around 12:45 pm today at the tri-junction road located in between Kwatha Lamkhai and Kwatha village.

The two injured women have been admitted to Community Health Centre at Moreh while the injured AR personnel flown to Leimakhong Military Hospital in army choppers after they were brought out from the spot till Khudengthabi.

The two deceased AR personnel both belonging to 24 AR stationed at Khudengthabi, have been identified as Rifleman Jagendra Koushit of Uttarakhand and Rifleman Kewal of Rajasthan.

The five other AR personnel who sustained injuries in the blasts have also been identified as Rifleman M Mathu, Rifleman Bijoy Pal Singh, Rifleman Rajender, Rifleman MC Roy and Rifleman Khum.

The lifeless bodies of two of the Kwatha bomb blast victims lying

The civilian who lost his life in the blasts was one Ningthoujam Shangaijao (60), s/o late N Wahongshong of Kwatha Khunjao.

His body was blown apart by the impact of the blasts.

The other two injured women are Angom ongbi Kaboklei (45), w/o A Ito and Angom Ritu alias Akoi (30), w/o A Thambaljao.

Kaboklei received multiple bomb splinter injuries on her lips, chest and left hand while Ritu suffered injuries on her right knee and other parts of her body.

Their conditions are reported to be stable.

According to information culled from the site of the incident, the spot where the blasts occurred is located near a Sericulture farm.

The area is a place where personnel of 24 AR normally carry out frisking and the bomb blasts occurred while AR personnel were conducting frisking as usual today.

All the seven bombs went off at the same time.

Ritu, who is undergoing treatment at Moreh Community Health Centre, informed media persons that 5 of them were returning back after collecting bamboo shoots.

On reaching the tri-junction, they stopped at a nearby stream to quench their thirst, when the bombs exploded.

In the blasts, they saw a number of AR personnel lying on the ground injured while the bodies of many other blown apart.

Though no UG group has claimed responsibility for the blasts, police reports suggested that it might be the handiwork of MPA, the armed wing of UNLF.

Media persons, who attempted to rush to the spot, were prohibited from going ahead for almost an hour at Khudengthabi by AR personnel stationed there.

Meanwhile, PRO, IGAR (S) in a press statement has named CorCom for the bomb attacked carried out today leaving two AR personnel and a civilian killed and four AR personnel and two other women injured.

The statement condemned the barbaric action carried out by CorCom and said that CorCom cadres instead of directly facing the might of security forces prefer to target civilians and Assam Rifles in a cowardly manner.

This clearly shows the frustration among the insurgent groups who are perturbed since a large numbers of their cadres have deserted their camps and surrendered to the security forces, the statement added, while appealing to all the UG groups and their cadres to willingly come forward for peace talks.