IMPHAL, Nov 13: A day after an ambush was carried out on education minister in Senapati district, security personnel recovered three live Improvised Explosive Device (IED) bombs during a massive search operation at the spot today.
According to an official source, the three IEDs were found when police and state security personnel conducted a search on the stretch of the inter-village road from Maram to Purul in Senapati district as a follow up measure regarding the Saturday incident.
It is worth noting that Manipur cabinet minister DD Thaisii hailing from the Congress party was ambushed by heavily armed men at a place between Koide and Maram in Senapati district on Saturday that inflicted injury to an escort personnel. Some bullets had hit the vehicle in which the minister was travelling in. DD Thaisii was on his way to his native village Purul in Senapati district.
The life attempt on his life did not deter minister DD Thaisii from going ahead with his tour to his native village, Purul village of Senapati district. He reached yesterday at Purul village and halted a night there with heavy security reinforcement.
A strong team of Senapati district police and state security force under the supervision of Senapati additional SP rushed to escort back the minister last night. However, the minister who got an overwhelmed reception from villagers located on the sides of the stretch of the Maram-Purul road decided to stay the night in his native village.
The minister went to his native village to inspect sites where various developmental works are being taken up. The minister’s return journey to Imphal was delayed till today afternoon as Senapati police has to call out bomb experts from Imphal.
A team of Manipur Police Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad rushed to the spot and defused the three bombs safely around 2 pm today at the same places where the bombs were planted.
DD Thaisii returned to Imphal concluding his inspection to various development projects in Purul sub-division of Senapati district with heavy deployment of security on the whole stretch of the road from Purul to Imphal.
Meanwhile, the Naga People’s Organization (NPO) has condemned the attack on Manipur D.D Thaisii by unidentified gunmen. “Such incident is ‘unfortunate and disturbing’ during peaceful situation and especially at times of uniting all the Naga factional groups. We cannot continue to encourage violence while seeking peaceful resolutions among different groups and communities among Naga brethren,” the NPO said.
The NPO appeals to all revolutionary groups and individual to refrain violence and bloodshed during crucial days of our reconciliation process among Nagas. “During our collective aspirations and wishes to reconcile and unite Nagas in the backdrop of our positive peace-process, such incident becomes detrimental to our noble efforts,” it added.
Appealing earnestly against all forms violence and aggression by any revolutionary groups, the NPO sincerely shares the pains of the injured victim, Jamandar Sanii Pao of Purul; the NPO also wishes speedy recovery and good health.
The Manipur government also strongly condemned the attack on DD Thaisii.
Government spokesman N Biren while describing the assassination bid on the life of DD Thaisii as an act of cowardice said, “The life attempt on minister DD Thaisii, who had gone to inspect developmental works in the hill areas was an act of those group who does not want to develop the area. They are the enemy of the people. People should know this and abstain from supporting them”.
The Government College Part-time Lecturers’ Association, Manipur also condemned the attack on education minister DD Thaisii by some suspected armed militants in Senapati district yesterday.