Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil strongly condemned the bomb bast near Imphal in which seven persons were killed.

“Such desperate acts by anti-national elements will not help them in any manner and will only isolate them further,” Patil said while conveying his sympathies to the next of kin of those killed in  explosion. The Home Minister said he was confident that the Manipur Government would take all steps to avoid recurrence of such incidents and bring the culprits to book.

In his statement, Patil also prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.

Seven persons, including four women, were killed and over 30 injured when a powerful bomb planted on roadside exploded at Pourabi in Imphal East district last evening when a bus was passing through.

However, the number of causalties is likely to increase as the condition of some the injured passengers are critical, sources from hospitals said. Most of the injured passengers have lost their limbs.

State Health Minister Pheiroijam Parijat who visited the injured passengers at the hospital termed the incident as an act of terrorism and announced Rs 1 lakh each to the deceased and Rs 25,000 each to the injured passengers.

Claiming responsibility for planting the bomb, the underground Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) today expressed regret over the ‘unfortunate’ incident.

In a release, the RPF said that the bomb was planted two days back by the outfit’s armed wing People’s Liberation Army (PLA). However, PLA’s ‘adversaries’ overpowered two of the three activists of the outfit. Instead of removing the bomb, it was made to explode at the unfortunate vehicle by ‘the foes’ of the PLA, causing several casualties.

On the other hand, a public meeting was held at Pourabi in connection with the bomb blast at a spot between Pourabi and Huidrom, many organisations and bodies have come out strongly against the blast which claimed seven lives besides injuring score of others.

The public meeting held at Pourabi while condemning the blast in the strongest term, also constituted a JAC christened the Joint Action Committee Against Pourabi-Huidrom blast.

Of the various resolutions adopted in the meeting, the prominent ones include explicit explanation on the blast from the group concerned, demand for ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakhs to each family of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to each of the injured.

The meeting also resolved to urge the State Government build a memorial park at the site where the bomb blast took place.

Meanwhile, taking strong exception to the bomb blast, the Working Committee of the Apunba Lup observed that considering the prevailing situation Manipur has become a real war zone.

But the dismissal of the situation by the Government as mere law and order problem has been creating greater hardships to the common people, the Apunba Lup noted in a press release.

Joining the outburst against the Pourabi blast, the Morning Star Club, Yumnam Patlou has also strongly condemned the incident.

The Khundrakpam Kendra Youths’ Organisation has also conveyed strong condemnation against the blast.

All the bodies of the dead as well as injured were nothing less than mashes of flesh with their limbs blown away.

Many more are still in critical custody in the hospitals and the number of death may increase.

So powerful was the blast that it flung the bus about 25 feet away from the explosion spot.

The bus was a mangled remains of metal, when this reporter reached the spot. Most of the passenger seats were found ripped away by the impact of the blast while the two rear tyres were punctured. The bus was on its way to Pukhao from Imphal. The three persons who passed away at the spot have been identified as Soibam Bobby (32) son of Bobo of Keibi Mayai Leikai, Phijam Thoi (20) son of Bonjaoba of Sekta Mayai Leikai and Singam Inao (24) son of Gunadhor of Tiger Camp.

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