By NNN-PTI
Imphal (India) : Security was Monday beefed up across India’s Manipur after seven persons were killed in a bomb blast in East Imphal district.
A powerful bomb exploded at Pourabi in Imphal East district Sunday evening when a bus was passing through.
In view of the blast, security personnel, particularly in valley districts have been asked to step up security measures and patrolling to detect movement of armed militants, official sources said.
Police was deployed at all vulnerable areas of the capital complex here to prevent militants from entering high security areas.
Meanwhile, insurgent outfit United National Liberation Front in a statement Monday condemned the blast and said it was not involved in it.
This is the second such blast in the past one month. On Nov 16, militants exploded a powerful bomb at a shop in the crowded Paona market complex here, killing a civilian and injuring four others.
Meanwhile, in PUDUCHERRY, two successive bomb blasts here recently have stirred the police to reengineer its strategies and action plan to ensure that Puducherry’s reputation of being a peaceful territory does not become a thing of the past.
The slogan ‘Peaceful Puducherry, ‘Give Time a Break,’ brought out by the Tourism Department of this former French colony signifies the crux of the sustained plea of most political parties who call for maintaining and guarding of peace and tranquility here.
However, the crude bomb blasts in Vanrapet block almost in quick succession in Uppalam constituency close to North Bouleward here on Dec 1, which claimed the life of two of the four boys had caused tremors in the territory’s law enforcement machinery.
The first blast occurred when certain unidentified persons allegedly hurled the bomb at the residence of a local AIADMK activist in the wee hours of Dec 1.
Even though nobody was injured in the blast, police was virtually taken aback by this surprise development.
Some 10 hours after the first blast, a second one claimed the life of one boy and injured three others. The explosion took place when a group of boys playing near their house happened to open a bundle containing a bomb in the shape of a coconut.
Police swung into action and combed most areas and launched door to door search operations but failed to unearth lethal weapons or bombs anywhere in the area.
Cases were registered under different sections of the IPC and Explosive Substances Act 1907. In a phased manner, 13 of the 16 persons allegedly involved in the incident have so far been arrested.