By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Amid ongoing unrest in Manipur, unidentified miscreants reportedly hurled a grenade at the home of an Air India cargo manager in Imphal East on May 23, in what marks the third such attack targeting airline cargo-related facilities in the state this month.
Police said the incident occurred at around 1:42 am at the residence of 52-year-old Thokchom Brojen in Bashikhong, under Irilbung police station limits in Imphal East district. Brojen is the manager of Air India Cargo Services at Imphal International Airport.
Officials said CCTV footage showed unidentified persons hurling a grenade towards the house, but the device did not explode and was found lying near the main gate.
Soon after the incident, personnel from Irilbung Police Station, along with a bomb disposal squad, reached the spot. The explosive was identified as a 36-HE grenade. It was safely defused at around 9:27 am and later disposed of at Kalika Hills in Imphal East district as per standard operating procedures.
Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation to trace those responsible for the attack.
This incident is part of a recent pattern of violence targeting airline cargo-related facilities in Manipur. On May 3, an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near the cargo terminal area of Imphal International Airport.
Later, the banned militant group Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) claimed responsibility for the explosion, alleging that certain cargo operators were involved in transporting tobacco products and liquor via air cargo services. The group described the blast as a “final warning” to cargo operators and airport authorities.
In another similar incident earlier this month, unidentified persons had thrown a grenade at the residence of an IndiGo Airlines cargo manager in Kongpal Khaidem Leikai under Imphal East district. The device, however, did not detonate.
Manipur has remained on edge since ethnic clashes broke out on May 3, 2023, between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, leaving several people dead and forcing large-scale displacement.
Recent weeks have also seen renewed tensions after twin ambush incidents in Kangpokpi and Noney districts on May 13, in which four people, including three church leaders and a Naga civilian, were killed.
Security forces continue to maintain strict vigilance across the state as concerns over further unrest persist.