Shillong, Oct 4 (UNI) Minutes before Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu’s convoy was enroute from Raj Bhavan to the North Eastern Council (NEC) to address a workshop on “Changing Role of North-Eastern Council in the Development of North-Eastern Region”; proscribed rebel outfit Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) left a paint cannister of explosives outside the state office of the National Peoples’ Party (NPP) Monday afternoon.
A suspicious looking bag was sighted at around 3:30 pm by passers-by near the NPP office. Inside it was a paint cannister filled with explosives with wires jutting out, and this brought top district police officials and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) to the spot promptly. Shortly after cordoning off the area, bomb disposal personnel safely extricated the object and swiftly took it into their custody after swiftly and safely defusing it.
Police informed that it weighed about 5 kgs of gelatin sticks neatly packed in a paint container but did not explode due to erroneous wiring. Later the East Khasi Hills Crime Scene Unit (CSU) took over the area to gather forensic evidence etc.
“On searching the bag it was found that it contained crude improvised device which was instantly defused by the BDDS team,” a crisp police communique stated adding, “A case under relevant provisions of law is being registered at Laitumkhrah Police Station against the members of the proscribed outfit HNLC who have made claims through social media about planting the explosive substances in front of NPP office.”
Minutes after the discovery, self-styled acting general secretary, and spokesperson of the outfit, Saiñkupar Nongtraw, through a post on his official Facebook account claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing of the NPP office.
Blaming the ruling dispensation for the death of its former founding general secretary Cherish Starfield Thangkhiew, Nongtraw said, “We have received information from reliable sources regarding the death of (L) Bah Che, that it was a complete political conspiracy by some ministers of the state of Meghalaya and where these ministers will hide themselves before the upcoming elections, we will hunt them, chase them and intimidate them, hence we will shoot and kill them without any mercy.”
Castigating the government for using the police to arrest “some innocent people” simply to “showcase its strength” Nongtraw said the “allegations against Bah Che was just the miscalculation and disinformation”.
The rebel leader further directed all members and party workers of the NPP in Khasi and Jaiñtia hills to resign immediately within a month’s time, failing which the outfit would “take strong measures against the higher- ups office bearers of the NPP”, even as he asked youths of the state to share names and details of functionaries of the various units of the party in his email or FB accounts.
UNI DOL SHK2049