Reported by Bit Irom
Imphal: A hand grenade along with a warning note allegedly linked to the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party (People’s War Group) was found at Vishal Mega Mart in Manipur’s Thoubal district on Thursday morning, officials said.
Police and a bomb disposal squad rushed to the spot after receiving information about the explosive device at the store located opposite Thoubal Police Station along National Highway 102.
Bomb disposal personnel later defused the grenade safely.
According to officials, the warning note recovered from the site read: “KCP (PWG) Next Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) Blasts.” Authorities suspect the device was planted by cadres of the banned KCP-PWG outfit.
The Vishal Mega Mart outlet was opened on April 30 and has since faced opposition from vendors of Thoubal Keithel, who have been protesting against the store’s operation near the local market. The vendors have reportedly demanded that the outlet be relocated away from the area.
Following the incident, members of the public and employees of the retail outlet staged a sit-in protest urging that the store be allowed to continue operating.
An employee claimed that the store has generated employment for more than 60 educated unemployed youths from Thoubal district.