Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

Suspects held, DGP ridicules RPF claim: Imphal, Dec 18: The state police chief while informing that the police rounded up three bomb blast suspects, categorically denied the allegation against the security forces by the RPF in connection with the blast that claimed the lives of eight passengers and wounded more than 20 others, some critically. Talking to journalists on Tuesday morning before leaving for New Delhi, state DGP Y Joykumar informed that the police had rounded up three of the suspects involved in the planting of the IED on Monday evening. They are in police custody for further investigations, he added. The suspects were picked up from the localities near the spot where the blast took place, he said. The DGP also strongly denounced the RPF statement charging the security forces of triggering the blast deliberately to cause civilian casualties even though the cadres of the outfit planted the IED. He said the allegation was "nothing but to draw the sympathy of the people a...

RPF owns responsibility, regrets: Imphal, Dec 17: Owning responsibility for planting the bomb at Pourabi on Sunday evening, the proscribed Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF) has expressed its regret and asked forgiveness of the people. The outfit, however, maintained that it was the ‘enemy’ who set off the bomb just as the ill-fated passenger bus was approaching the site. In a statement, assistant secretary of communication and publicity of the outfit Lily Leima said the bomb which led to the unfortunate incident was planted by members of its armed wing PLA. For over two days, many vehicles crossed the site and it remained totally safe. But in the morning of the day of the blast, the enemy had arrested two persons working for the outfit and managed to identify the spot where the bomb had been planted. Instead of removing the bomb, the ‘enemy’ made it to trigger when the ill-fated passenger bus crossed the spot. For this unfortunate incident, RPF is remorseful, the statement said. Recal...