IED blast at ADC office, 3 women of a family hurt
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 28, 2011:
Three women, mother and daughters sustained injuries when a powerful car bomb went off at the gate of the headquarters of the Autonomous Hills District Council (ADC) in Imphal Khuman Lampak Sports Complex on Saturday.
The IED which seemed to target the temporary ADC office was so powerful that apart from completely destroying the car (Maruti-800), a pit of about three feet in diameter with a depth of about two feet was formed.
The blast took place at 10.42 am.
Of the three wounded, the condition of Neikim (10) was stated to be critical.
She sustained injuries at the abdomen from splinters.
Doctors at JNIMS hospital operated on her and she has been kept in the ICU ward.
Boinu (45), the mother, sustained injuries on her right arm and Lucy (18) sustained a head injury.
The mother was discharged after receiving first aid while Lucy was still at hospital under doctors' care.
Her condition was stated to be out of danger.
The three were the mother and younger sisters of the caretaker of the ADC office, Irine wife of Lalboy from Churachandpur district.
The car was abandoned by a man of around 30 dressed in a black T-shirt and blue jeans.
The man, who came on the car, first asked the caretaker whether the staff of the office had turned up for work.
When she said no staff would be coming as the office was closed for the day due to the bandh, the man said "oh" and left the place leaving behind the car.
No sooner had he left, the car blew up with a loud sound Irene recalled.
The intensity of the blast was so great that the car car was scattered in pieces in all directions and it broke the window panes of the building of the Youth Centre which is being used as the ADC office.
A door of the car was found lying around 50 metre away from the blast site.
A motorcycle parked some 30 metre away was also damaged by the impact.
The register plate of the car could not be found by the police who rushed to the spot as soon as the blast occurred.
Police suspect the IED was triggered by a remote control device and targetted the ADC office where elected members of the ADC from the four Naga dominated hill districts.
The members had been using the Youth Centre as their office after they were prevented from functioning in their respective district headquarters.
Police have registered a case and have started an investigation to find out the culprit(s) behind the blast as well as to unearth if any militant outfit was behind the blast.
They suspect a Naga based underground group to be behind the blast.
Mention may be made that various Naga based civil societies supporting the UNC demand to call null and void the ADC election held a year back under the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 2008 have been boycotting its functioning in their respective districts.
The Khuman Lampak Sports Complex is protected by the IRB round the clock with their sentry points at every entrance route to the complex.
However, there was no security to guard separate buildings including the temporary ADC office inside the complex.
Comment
