By IANS,
Imphal:Two people, including a Border Security Force trooper, were injured in a bomb blast, while a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) was defused in Manipur Friday, police said.
Ratish Kumar, a head constable of BSF’s 116 battalion, was on patrol in Heirok village in Thoubal district when the bomb, planted on a road, was triggered. A woman resident was also injured.
The condition of the trooper is stated to be critical condition and has been rushed to the Regional Institute of Medical Science hospital in Imphal.
“Preliminary investigation indicates that the rebels could have triggered by an improvised explosive device from a distance,” a police official said.
No arrests had been made so far, but a manhunt is on to nab the rebels, the police official added.
In the other incident, a powerful IED packed in a polythene bag was found lying inside the Border Road Task Force (BRTF) office premises near the chamber of 25 BRTF battalion commandant Mohalal Singh.
Senior police officials and bomb detection and disposal squad rushed to spot and defused the IED.
The outlawed Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) had said its military wing – the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would continue to launch more attacks against security forces in the state. The RPF is fighting over the past three decades for an independent homeland for the majority Metei community in Manipur.
The PLA has planted bombs in strategic places to attack security forces, RPF spokesman Taohangsu Heiremcha warned.
There are more than 20 rebel outfits in Manipur with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy.