Manipur border town tense after the third blast

Three bomb blasts in seven days in Moreh town in Manipur bordering Mynamar and the public outrage that followed prompted the administration to impose Section 144 of CrPc to prevent further escalation of the situation.

In an order issued on Saturday, Thengnoupal district administration prohibited the gathering of more than five people as locals had blocked roads to protest the alleged failure of the security agencies to improve law and order situation in the town bordering Myanmar.

Panic gripped the border town as a powerful IED exploded around 8 pm on Friday in the middle of the commercial town. Although no one was injured in the blast, local residents questioned why the security agencies failed to prevent frequent bomb blasts. This was the third blast in the town this week.

Moreh town is also said to be a hub of illegal trade including smuggling of drugs from across the border. Security agencies claim that militant groups and smugglers are hands-in-glove and could have triggered the blasts following their operation against illegal activities.

Kidnap by Ulfa (I)

Suspected cadres of United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent), a militant group abducted an employee of a tea garden in eastern Assam's Tinsukia district on Friday evening. Police sources said a group of armed men entered the Shankar tea estate around 6.30pm and abducted Gauranga Dey, a technician in the garden. The garden management has not yet disclosed any demand for ransom by the outfit. Security forces have launched an operation in search of Dey.