Blast in Imphal, two injured

Imphal  :  Two people, including a soldier, were injured in a bomb blast triggered by the outlawed People’s Liberation Army (PLA) rebels in the Manipur capital Saturday, police said.

Ravindra Singh of the 18 Sikh Light Regiment was on patrol when the blast occurred on Tiddim Road. A civilian was also injured.

Their condition is stated to be stable.

“Preliminary investigation indicates that the rebels could have triggered by an improvised explosive device from a distance,” Imphal district police chief Konsam Jayanta Singh told IANS.

The bomb was planted on a road divider.

No arrests had been made so far, but a manhunt is on to nab the rebels, the police chief added.

Claiming responsibility for the blast in Tiddim road, the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Front’s spokesman Taohangsu Heiremcha said its armed wing would continue to launch more attacks on the security forces in the state.

The PLA is the armed wing of the powerful separatist RPF, which is fighting for an independent homeland for the majority Metei community in Manipur over three decades.

The PLA has planted bombs in strategic places to attack security forces, Heiremcha warned.

On Wednesday, two Assam Rifles troopers were injured in a bomb blast triggered by separatist United National Liberation Front (UNLF) rebels in the Manipur capital.

Meanwhile, the Manipur Police have appealed to the general public to help the security forces to thwart such incidents by informing police about abandoned vehicles and unattended objects.