Imphal, May 30: At least one person was killed and four others, all from West Bengal, were injured due to the explosion of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at a community hall in central Manipur’s Thoubal district on early Monday morning, police said.
Police said that the IED was detonated through a remote control at Khongjom, seriously injuring five people and they were immediately taken to the Thoubal district hospital where Pankaj Mahato (21) succumbed to his injuries.
The blast occurred when the workers were sleeping at a Community Hall at Khongjom.
The others who were critically injured in the blast include Aroop Mandal (30), Souvik Patra (18), Aporva Mandal (25), and Rajesh Ramaanik (19) and they belong to South 24 Parganas and other districts of West Bengal.
The five workers were engaged by a private company to construct a water tank.
Police led by senior officials rushed to the spot, which is 50 kms south of the state capital Imphal, and launched a search operation to nab the perpetrators.
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who also holds the Home portfolio, condemned the blast and termed the attack as an act of cowardice.
“Targeting innocent workers who are working for their livelihood and developmental projects in Manipur are an act of cowardice,” Singh told the media.
Even as the motive behind the attack remains unclear and the attackers were not identified yet, the police have registered a case in the Khongjom police station in connection with the incident and launched a probe.
