Shillong the capital of Meghalaya witnessed a bomb blast that occurred at Laitumkhrah market, Shillong at around 1.30 pm yesterday. The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast injured two people.
It exploded near a tea shop situated at the parking lot at Laitumkhrah market. The wall of the shop and the window glasses of the adjacent building got damaged in the incident.
According to eyewitnesses, the blast was very strong and it shocked the nearby buildings. Two-person including a woman was injured in the incident, they were further shifted to Nazareth Hospital Shillong.
According to a statement from the Meghalaya Police Bomb Squads, Crime Scene Unit and Dog Squad were sent to the site for the collection of shreds of evidence. During the preliminary investigation, it is ascertained that the blast occurred due to an I.E.D. Further, the wall of a tea stall and windows glasses of the adjacent building got damaged. In this connection, a case is being registered at Laitumkhrah Police Station, the statement further added.
Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), a banned militant outfit of Meghalaya, has claimed responsibility for the blast which occurred yesterday.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has strongly condemned the acts of such anti-social elements and said that strong actions will be taken against the perpetrators. He further stated that the State Government will take a firm stand against such actions and ensured the safety of citizens.
On replying if the militancy is trying to raise its ugly head again in the state, “Absolutely not. This is an incident that should not have happened. This is an incident where we have seen it has been preceded by large numbers of extortion being given to people and therefore, it looks more like a racket of extortion that they are trying to create and this is something that we will not allow at all”. he said
However, East Shillong MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh has demanded a probe into the blast alleging a major intelligence lapse.
