Manipur saw its first attack of the year on Tuesday night as militants carried out suspected drone bombings on an Imphal West village that they had targeted late last year as well. There was no casualty in the attack on Kangchup Phayeng village that took place just 15 feet away from a temporary police barrack and sentry post. Police said they suspect both bombs were dropped by drones in the space of three minutes at around 9.30 pm. A similar attack on the village took place on November 11. There was no casualty that time as well. Police said they found the propellers of the bombs at the blast site. A team of forensic experts Wednesday conducted a spot investigation and seized bomb fragments, including the propellers. An official from the Manipur police department said: “Manipur police commandos, along with Lamshang Police, rushed to the spot. However, no further gunfire was reported. We are taking necessary security measures to prevent any untoward incidents.” A resident of Kangchup, Ajit, said: “Since November 11 last, no drones had been spotted in the area. However, over the last three days, drones were frequently spotted flying. We didn’t panic, assuming they were surveillance drones.” “Last night, two bombs exploded just 15 feet away from the security barrack and sentry post, just minutes after we heard sounds of a drone hovering. Had the bombs been dropped in the populated areas, the casualties could have been significant,” said this resident. Meanwhile, a team of state and central security forces Wednesday seized a large cache of arms, explosives and ammunition from the fringe areas of Aigejang and Leimaram Uyok Ching in Bishnupur district. Among the weapons and explosives seized were a self-loading rifle, a sniper rifle, 36 grenades and a mortar tube launcher. The operation, involving Manipur police commandos and a column of the 33rd Assam Rifles, followed intelligence reports of militants and hidden weapon caches in the area.
