[ad_1]
Police have recorded a case and an investigation is underway to catch those involved in the blast
Archive image of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. ANI
Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday condemned the improvised bombing carried out by an illegal organization behind a bustling market in the state capital, injuring two people, including a woman.
The 1 kg improvised explosive device (IED), triggered by the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), exploded around 1:30 p.m. behind a bustling market in Laitumkhrah, injuring a trader and a passerby.
Police have registered one case and an investigation is currently underway to catch those involved in the blast.
Strongly condemn the IED explosion reported in Laitumkhrah earlier this afternoon which injured two citizens. Minister of the Interior, @LahkmenR & officials of @MeghalayaPolice have informed me of the matter and further investigation is underway.
– Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) August 10, 2021
Local MP Ampareen Lyngdoh also condemned the incident. “I condemn this terrible act of violence which has injured two civilians in the heart of Shillong. The use of violence can never be justified and @MeghalayaPolice must investigate the incident and arrest those responsible,” she said.
Once a feared armed group in Meghalaya and active in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills area, the organization which is believed to have a base camp in Bangladesh was banned as an “illegal organization” by the Home Office in 2019 on the grounds that “” the outfit has not yet renounced violence “.
The HNLC, a splinter faction of the previous Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council (1993) operates primarily in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills area and has carried out a number of attacks in the past. He claims to want to “liberate” people from the alleged domination by “foreigners”.
Last month, the rebel group carried out an attack on a police reserve barracks at the East Jaintia Hills district headquarters, injuring a police officer and damaging buildings. Three people were then arrested.
A year ago, the formation carried out an explosion in a cement factory in the same neighborhood, while in 2015, the rebel formation carried out an IED attack in the Jhalupara neighborhood of the city. No one was hurt.
Although tripartite peace negotiations are underway with the rebel group, the Meghalaya government has maintained that the group must refrain from violence if it is to negotiate peace.
[ad_2]
