Three migrant labourers were killed and four others sustained shrapnel injuries when a remote-controlled bomb went off at around 6 a.m. near the Khuyathong traffic point in Imphal on Sunday. The blast occurred hardly 2 metres away from a police post.
All except one of the victims are from Uttar Pradesh and were working as loadmen for passengers who catch buses from the traffic point to nearby hill stations. A few dozen migrant labourers could be found at the point anytime.
The injured were rushed to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal. Hospital sources told The Hindu that their condition is critical. Police said one of the injured is from Wokha district of Nagaland.
Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam Gangmei, who hold the Home portfolio, visited the injured at the hospital. Mr. Singh said the government strongly condemns the attack on daily wage earners. He said adequate compensation would be paid to the family members of the dead and the government would foot the medical bill of the injured. Mr. Gangmei said it was a condemnable act of cowardice to attack the weak and unarmed and the innocent.
Security measures have been beefed up throughout the city following the incident.
On December 19, 2014, a blast killed two migrant workers from Bihar in the heart of the city. Police later claimed to have solved the case with the arrest of an insurgent.
According to PTI, the victims have been identified as Shiv Yadav (35), Lalan (35) and Kusum Pandit (60).
