Blast in Imphal kills 3, injures over 20

Three persons were killed and over 20 others injured when an Improvised Explosive Device went off at a crowded market place in the heart of Imphal City. Two out of the three dead were non-Manipuris but the police are yet to ascertain their identities and which states they belonged to.

The explosion took place at 5:50 pm today at peak shopping hours in Imphal. The bomb was planted at a tea stall at the Temporary Market in Khairamband Keithel, a market run exclusively by women in Imphal. The tea stall was located in a part of the market that sold chicken. The market is also near the main arterial BT road flyover – Imphal’s and manipur’s sole flyover.

The area is one of the most congested in Imphal city and sees a large number of shoppers daily. Incidentally a large number of migrant workers from other states, especially Bihar, not only work in the area but also live in congested Dharamshalas set up for them.

The police however maintain that it is to early to ascertain the target of the blast although an attack on the migrant population cannot be ruled out. Imphal city has consistently seen attacks on migrant labourers coming from other states. The movement to re-introduce the Inner Line Permit, which will restrict the entry of non-Manipuris in Manipur without prior permission of the state has also intensified and picked up over the past year. The state Assembly was to introduce a bill to bring in some form of an ILP in its last session earlier in February but failed to do so.

No underground group has claimed responsibility for the blast yet.

Source:: Indian Express