One dead, one injured in blast in India's Manipur state

[February 24, 2024]   By Tora Agarwala
 
GUWAHATI (Reuters) - One person died and another was injured in a bomb blast at a college in Imphal, the capital of India's northeastern state of Manipur, on Friday night, security officials said.

No group has taken responsibility for the blast of the improvised explosive device (IED), the officials said.

“The IED exploded in the campus of a college [DM College campus] in the city. One person died, and the other is being treated in the hospital,” one of the officials said.

Manipur has been hit by fierce fighting since last May between members of the majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities over sharing economic benefits and quotas given to the tribes. Close to 200 people have been killed in the conflict.

Imphal, inhabited by the Meitei community, has seen several incidents of violence since the conflict first broke out.

The bomb on Friday exploded in the office of the All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU), a student organization, located inside the DM University campus in Imphal West district.

The two injured were immediately rushed to the hospital, where one succumbed to his injuries, the officials said.

Later at night, around 1 a.m. (1930 GMT), the office of the United Committee Manipur, a civil society organization representing Meitei interests, was torched.

The superintendent of police, the top police official for the Imphal West district, was unavailable for comment.

(Reporting by Tora Agarwala; Editing by Sonali Paul)

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