Amid tight security, One killed two injured in bomb blast in Imphal

Imphal: A bomb blast has been reported from Imphal West in troubled Manipur, killing one person and injuring two others.
The blast was reported from outside Dhanamanjuri University(DM) complex in Thangmeiband, Imphal West. The blast site is also near the All Manipur Students Union (AMSU) office. According to the sources, the blast took place at around 9:25 pm.
One person is reported to have died in the blast. The deceased has been identified as 24-year-old Oinam Kenjit.
Two other people are reported to be injured, one of whom is said to be in critical condition. Both the injured have been admitted to a hospital in the city where they are undergoing treatment.
Sources have also said that the body of the deceased has been sent to the hospital for post-mortem.

However, official confirmation regarding the fatalities and injured person are still being awaited.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility regarding the blast. Police are currently at the spot and taking stock of the situation. It is also not yet clear as to what kind of explosive has been used for the blast.

The blast comes in amid an ongoing ethnic conflict that has been raging on in Manipur since May last year.

More than 180 people were killed since the violence erupted on May 3 last year after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mainly in the hill districts.