IMPHAL, August 2: While decrying yesterday`s bomb blast at Sangakpham bazar which killed five persons, the Manipur Peoples` Party has today blamed the failure of state intelligence for the blast and has stated that the state should be held responsible for the violent incident.
Briefing media persons at his office after visits to hospitals where victims and injured persons of yesterday`s bomb blast are presently admitted and after attending a sit in protest at the bomb blast site this noon, Dr Nimaichand Luwang, president MPP, stated that the government should be held responsible for the terrorist act as the party has receive information that there has been three unsuccessful attempts by militant outfits to plant powerful bombs in the general area of Sangakpham in the recent past.
He further questioned how the state government and its intelligence wing had failed to get prior information on yesterday’s blast even though there have been three prior attempts to create terror activities in the area.
When asked by media persons on the issue of law and order in the state in recent times, the MPP president has maintained that even though there has been a downward slope in the number of reported deaths in the state in recent times, there has been no improvement in the law and order situation of the state as the militant outfits have not stopped their activities of terrorizing the general public.
Further elaborating on the issue, he maintained that in the past it was the state and central forces who in the name of counter insurgency were killing people in the state daily. However there has been a lull in the counter insurgency operations and killing of people in the state for quite some time. But in recent times the militants have increased their strike rate and as such the law and order situation in the state cannot be called improved.
Meanwhile, during his visit to the hospital, the MPP president announced Rs 1000 each for all the injured persons from the side of the party. However in an interesting twist, the monetary help will not include victims admitted at the JNIMS as the visiting team of the party led by its president was unable to locate the injured person from yesterday`s blast at the hospital, due to the alleged failure of communication among the staffs of the hospital.
The team also met the medical superintendent of the hospital in order to locate the said victim, however the team had to return without meeting the victims admitted at the hospital due to time constraint as the MS was taking too long to locate the victims.