One powerful foreign made bomb was planted at Babina Diagnostic Centre, a leading healthcare facility in the heart of the Imphal town on Tuesday night. Though the government claims an improved law and order situation in this insurgency-afflicted state, such acts of terror are reported at alarming frequency. If the bomb had exploded there would have been massive casualties since the building is always overcrowded.
Some staff of the Centre chanced to see the bomb which had been planted in the main counter where there is always a crowd to collect their medical reports and undergo various tests. The management soon informed the police. Police rushed to the spot and blocked all vehicular movements and pedestrians along RIMS Road for several hours. The bomb was removed and neutralised at a safe place.
This is not the first time that the Centre was threatened by armed persons. Police suspect that the management was told to cough up a whopping amount as illegal tax. The armed persons might have tried to bomb the Centre as the management delayed the payment.
There has been no claim from any underground organization and police have beefed up security measures. Sources said that some other diagnostic centres in Imphal do get similar extortion letters from some armed groups. In the past, bombs had been detonated in some private clinics and hospitals as prompt payment of illegal taxes was not made.
