The spot where the bomb landed (encircled) while a dharna was being staged
Bomb hurled at dharna site, 10 injured
By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jun 26 : At least 10 persons including two minor girls have been wounded when unidentified persons triggered a bomb blast at Ningthou-khong Bazar in Bishnupur district where a sit-in-protest demonstration was being staged by the shop-keepers denouncing mone- tary demand from the proscribed outfit PREPAK.
The incident occurred at around 11.30 am today.
On the other hand, condemning the incident, PREPAK (Chinglemba Mangang group) has denied involvement of any sort in the blast at Ningthoukhong Bazar today that left many people injured.
In a statement, self styled secretary in-charge of the department of publicity and propaganda of the outfit Konthoujam Chingkhei Meetei said the party strongly condemned such unwarranted bomb attack on innocent people.
Condemning the bomb attack on peaceful protestors, UNLF and KYKL have categorically stated that such violent incidents could not be justified under the International humanitarian law which is binding on all the UG groups fighting for the rights of the people for self determination.
People have every right to lodge their protest and this right is inviolable, said a joint statement issued by self styled deputy secretary (organisation) of UNLF Ningombam Ibochou and self styled secretary publicity and research of KYKL Langamba Mangang.
Even if the needle of suspicion points to the UG group against which the protest had been lodged, the mischief of the enemy to discredit the revolutionary movement could not be ruled out, the joint statement added.
The injured have been identified as grocery shop owners RK Surchandra (45) son of Thambalsana, RK Kiran (35) son of Sarat-kumar, Laishram Bashir (35) son of Thambalngou, Khurailakpam Sudeshku-mar (45) s/o Sachimohan, Thokchom Bheigyachan-dra (45) s/o late Tomba, hardware shop owner Thokchom Inaocha (32) s/o Mani, yarn shop owner Khundrakpam Tomba (40) s/o late Bira, jewellery shop owner Wareppam Bujindro (42) s/o Deep Singh and the two minor girls as RK Anu-pama d/o R Lembi and Tho- kchom Simran alias Akuppi Devi (10) s/o Thokchom Abungo. All of them are residents of Ningthoukhong Bazar.
Anupama and Akuppi were respectively coming to meet their mother and father who were participating in the protest demonstration when they hit by bomb splinters.
The two minor girls and RK Surchandra who sustained serious injuries have been brought and admitted to RIMS Hospital here.
According to police, Sur-chandra was hit by bomb splinters at the back of the head, right side armpit and buttock, Anupama on her right chest and some part body parts and Simran on her right stomach and left calf.
Proscribed PREPAK had allegedly demanded money for buying two mobile pho-ne handsets from each of the shops in Ningthou-kho-ng Bazar area. After shut- ting down their shops, the shop-keepers staged the protest demonstration today demanding withdrawal of the said demand.
The protest demonstration commenced from 8 am and at around 10.30 am, some unidentified persons came along and started pelting stones at first and after two or three minutes hurled the bomb which landed near a drain just 2 feet away from the site of the protest and exploded with a laud bang.
Soon after the explosion, three unidentified youths were reportedly seen escaping, one on Bajaj Pulser and the two others on an NV scooter toward Moirang side.
No armed security personnel were deployed in the area at the time of the incident.
Police said that the bomb was a Chinese made hand-grenade.
Among the injured, RK Surchandra and Thokchom Bheigyachandra were at first taken to Bishnupur District Hospital for treatment. However, as the con- dition of Surchandra was critical he was later referred to RIMS Hospital while Bheigyachandra whose condition was not so serious has been discharged from the district hospital.
After the explosion, Bi-shnupur police has stepped up security arrangement in and around the area. Personnel of 15 J&K Light Infantry, who arrived at the spot has also been providing adequate security coverage.
In protest against the bomb attack, infuriated shop-keepers, women vendors and other local youths blocked the Tiddim Road along with burning of old tyres. Armed with sticks, local youths also stopped all the vehicles coming towards Imphal.
Talking to mediaper-sons, Laishram Dwijamnai, a grocery shop keeper, who participated in the sit-in-protest demonstration and was sitting very close to the site where bomb exploded, said that the shop-keepers in Ningthoukhong Bazar have been finding hard to meet the monetary demands of various UG groups as the sale proceed has been very low. So they staged the demonstration to appeal for withdrawing the monetary demand.
In connection with the bomb blast, police said that identity of the individuals or the group responsible for the blast has not yet been identified. But the information given by the shop-keepers said that a faction of the proscribed PREPAK had served demand note directing all the shop-keepers to provide two mobile handsets each.
Meanwhile, United People’s Front (UPF), Manipur; Threatened Indigenous Peoples’ Society (TIPS), Manipur; Ethno Heritage Council (HERICOUN); Manipur Forward Youth Front (MAFYF), United Clubs’ Organisation of Bishnupur District; Communist Party of India (Mar- xist), Manipur State Secretariat etc, have strongly condemned the bomb blast.
All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO) has also strongly condemned the bomb attack on peaceful demonstrators at Ningthoukhong Bazar today as well as the incident of targeting migrant workers by unidentified gunmen on June 24.
Later during a day a public meeting was convened at Ningthoukhong Bazar. Along with coming out strongly against the bomb attack, the meeting resolv-ed to continue protest de- monstration at Ningthou-khong Bazar tomorrow and stop all vehicular traffic from passing through Ningthoukhong Bazar if the individuals or group responsible for the attack did not come out with a clarification by tomorrow. The meeting also decided to urge the Government for extending financial aid to the injured persons in treatment.
