Imphal: In an unprecedented chain of events that could further complicate the already fragile environment due to the continued violence in Manipur, a college student was killed, and another received serious injuries when unidentified armed miscreants targeted the headquarters of the All Manipur Students Union (AMSU), Manipur with an IED bomb on Friday evening.
The incident, which took place around 9.20 pm, claimed the life of O. Kenjit (24), injuring one Salam Michael (24) from Bishnupur district. Both of them were students of the DM College of Science in the fifth semester.
Michale is undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
Police sources said that unidentified armed miscreants hung an IED on the eastern wall of the AMSU campus where they used a remote control device to trigger the blast. No outfit has claimed responsibility for the blast. However, a police team rushed to the site and cordoned off the area. An investigation is underway.
On Saturday a large group of students gathered in front of the AMSU headquarters to protest against the ‘terrorist act’ and urged the government to immediately book the culprit and punish within 48 hours.
After a rally starting from the Western Gate of DM University, a 15-member team of AMSU also met with the Chief Minister, N Biren Singh, to express their concerns.
On the other hand, in what appeared to be a retaliation of the bomb attack, one school, Machal Leima School, a few hundred meters from the Palace of the Manipur King, Sanajaoba Leishemba, was burned down by unidentified people around 1200:00 am.
School textbooks, desktop computer, printers, kitchen items and a Maruti Van were either destroyed or stolen during the incident, an official of the school said.
In between, the office of the United Committee Manipur (UCM), an apex body of different civil society organisations, was also burned to ashes by unidentified people around 11 pm. Interestingly, the office of the UCM is located only nearly two hundred meters south of the Lamphel police station.
Speaking to mediapersons at the Manipur Press Club, UCM president Joychandra made a fervent appeal to those unidentified miscreants not to repeat such incidents, stating it’s not the time to target each.
All the documents which have been preserved since its inception got destroyed, he added.
