Blast kills two BSF troopers; Biren Singh condemns

Our Correspondent

Imphal, May 9 (EMN): Two BSF personnel were killed while three civilians sustained injury when a powerful bomb suspected to be Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was exploded near Imphal on May 9 Wednesday.

The incident took place near the gate of 49 Battalion BSF at Koirengei, about 8km north of Imphal along Imphal-Mao highway around 2 in the afternoon.

The two BSF personnel, both of constable rank who succumbed to injuries have been identified as NN Meitei and Sanjay Tirkey.

The injured civilians are M Premlata Devi (40) who runs a grocery shop near the blast site, H Mubi, a school van driver and Bindya Thakuri who stays at Koirengei BSF gate. Conditions of injured persons except Bindya are said to be critical.

None of the armed group operating in the state has claimed responsibility for the day’s incident till the report goes to press.

Meanwhile Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has strongly condemned the incident.

Biren Singh accompanied by MLAs Awangbou Newmai, Th Satyabrata and L Susindro and DGP LM Khaute while visiting the injured persons at the hospital, said that the government takes the incident seriously and would not remain silent but would hunt down the perpetrators and book them under the law of the land.

Informing that the government would bear all the medical expenses of the injured persons, he said that the police department is investigating the recent blasts that occurred at different pockets of the state capital.