Imphal, April 25(NNN): A Right to Information (RTI) petition reveals official record of victims of landmine, particularly the injured, mostly in Chandel district located in the South-West flank of Manipur bordering Myanmar .
The official figure of victims of accidental landmine blasts since 2005, gathered from the State Home Department through an RTI petition filed by H Goutinlien Gangte, who is said to be a journalist stands at 27 deaths and 7 injured persons. Most of these blasts took place in the interior parts of Chandel district with few exceptions like one in Ukhrul and three in Churachandpur districts of Manipur.
The Home department claims that all the 27 deaths and 7 injured between 2005 till date have been suitably compensated to the tune of 1 lakh and 10 thousand respectively.
A per official record, in 2005 alone, there was 18 landmine related incidents which claimed the life of 15 persons and injured 3, while the following year (2006) claimed 3 lives with 1 injury in as many accidental landmine blasts.
In 2007, 5 cases of landmine accidents were reported with 2 persons death and 3 injured and 2008 witnessed 6 persons death in as many incidents of landmine accidents. There was a single recorded case of landmine death in 2009 and since then no official figure is available with the government.
