Grenade attack on Manipur minister\'s residence, two injured

GUWAHATI: A CFPF Jawan was among two persons who were injured in a hand grenade explosion near the residence of Manipur minister Khemchand Yumnam in Imphal West district. 

Police said that militants hurled a China-made hand-grenade  on the residence of minister of rural development  and panchayati raj Yumnam Khemchand at about 10.30 pm on Saturday night at his highly guarded residence. 

Informing that the minister and his family members were present in the residence when the explosion took place, security sources said that one Central Reserve Police Force personnel guarding the house sustained minor injuries in one hand caused by shrapnel. 

The CRPF personnel, identified as Dinesh Chandra Das — a resident of West Bengal, received splinter injuries on his hand. The other injured person was a woman, and she also received splinter injuries on her right foot.  The incident comes four days after violence broke out in Manipur’s Imphal West district where at least two houses were set on fire and several rounds of bullets were fired. 

Pointing out that security has been beefed up in and around the area, police said that Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh himself visited the spot and residence of the minister to enquire about the blast.  Admitting that no militant group has claimed the responsibility of the incident so far, security sources said that police have registered a case and started investigation. 

It is significant that Mr Khemchand is one of the Manipur ministers who had attended the four-hour meeting with the representatives of Youths of Manipur in Delhi to make clear their stand on the continuing clashes between the Meiteis and the Kuki militants. 

Social Welfare Minister Nemcha Kipgen in a letter to the Speaker stated that she could not attend the special session of the Assembly as her security cover is not adequate. An adviser to the chief minister was recently attacked and discharged after treatment at a Delhi hospital.  Meanwhile, the Manipur government has issued a notification, advising against renaming of districts and institutions without its prior approval, contending that such a move could create conflict among communities and aggravate the current law and order situation. 

"No one shall make or attempt to make any deliberate act of renaming districts, sub-divisions, places, institutions and addresses of such institutions without the approval of the state government," the order issued by Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi said.  “It has come to the notice of the state government of Manipur from reliable sources that many civil society organisations, institutions, establishments and persons are deliberately renaming or trying to rename districts... which are objectionable, or likely to create controversy and conflict between communities residing in the state, more particularly in the context of the ongoing law and order crisis...,” the notification said.

 The matter is viewed with "utmost sensitivity as the same practice... is likely to create, divide or aggravate the current law and order situation in the state " it said.  The missive comes shortly after a Churachandpur-based Zo outfit christened the district as ‘Lamka’.