Three persons sustained bleeding injuries and extensive damages from a bomb explosion in the imposing building of the first and only night club in Manipur, "Route 39" on Saturday night.
It is located along highway 39 at Mantri Pukhri about 4 km away from Imphal.
The remote controlled bomb planted by a militant had exploded at the open air waiting shed for the visitors. Police say that the casualty would have been staggering if it was detonated at the crowded areas. The night club and several shops nearby reportedly belong to a relative of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.
This is guarded round the clock by the private security guards. One wood pillar, glass partitions, roof were extensively damaged by the impact of the blast. Several visitors mostly women were inside the cabins and other parts of the building at the time of explosion.
All of them escaped unhurt. Sources said that on Saturday night one youth carrying a small shoulder bag entered and lounged at the waiting shed for some time. It is believed that he managed to leave the remote
controlled bomb. He then left the shed and sped away in a motorbike without any registration number. Sensing that something was amiss some of the private security guards scanned the area and found one small packet wrapped in a plastic sheet. The management immediately informed the nearby police station at Heingang. However before the bomb could be removed the militants detonated it using remote control.
This night club organises "party day" three days in a week. Police say that the bomb was a very powerful one activated by a remote control device. It was a miracle that the visitors did not sustain serious injuries. Had it been exploded during the "party day" there would have been many casualties. Police have collected the CCTV footage in a bid to identify the militant.
Manipur is a dry state. Insurgents had also implemented prohibition.
Revolutionary People's Front had closed down all foreign liquor shops and bonded warehouses from January 1, 1991. The western style night club is not to the liking of the insurgents and the women vigilantes.
Insurgents who are moral policemen in Manipur have been checking sale and consumption of liquor and other immoral activities. Now that the insurgents have shown that they can penetrate deep inside the night
club despite the presence of the private security guards indications are that people will stop coming there for their own security.
Students and women activists have also been raiding roadside restaurants where students are allowed to visit during school hours. Some of the restaurants had been torched by the students' organisations.
