Guwahati: At least two BSF jawans were killed and three civilians injured in a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion triggered near the 49 BSF battalion situated along National Highway 2 in Imphal on Wednesday.
Security sources in Imphal told this newspaper that the IED, suspected to have been triggered by some timer device, exploded at about 1.30 pm when the BSF jawans were out on routine sentry duty.
The IED ripped off at the side of the highway near a grocery shop situated adjacent to the battalion gate. The blast was so powerful that it not only injured five people but also badly shattered the grocery shop.
The injured were immediately rushed to different hospitals in Imphal, but two BSF jawan succumbed to their injuries at RIMS Hospital.
The deceased jawans have been identified as Riflemen N.N. Meitei, 30, and Sanjay Tirki, 28; while the inured civilians were identified as H. Mubi, 35, M. Premlata, 40, and Bindya Thakuri, 19. M. Premlata, the grocery shop owner, is said to be in a critical condition.
Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh condemned the bomb attack and said his government will not remain a silent spectator. “We will hunt them down and book them as per the law”, he said. He also visited the hospitals where the bomb blast victims have been admitted.
The chief minister said: “We do not understand the intentions of the perpetrator, the message they are trying to convey. But they should not forget that nobody is above the law.”
None of Manipur’s militant groups have claimed any responsibility for the attack so far.
This is the second attack on the paramilitary forces in the state this week. On Tuesday, two hand grenades were lobbed at an Assam Rifles facility in Imphal city, seriously injuring a jawan attached to the force.
