Rickshaw Puller Loses Legs During Bomb Blast and Dies Later on

**kellyhound** · #1 ● 12-17-2011, 10:18 AM

Nov 30 2011 IMPHAL: Two days ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's Imphal visit, rebels triggered a bomb explosion at the historic palace compound in the heart of the capital on Wednesday killing a rickshaw puller and injuring two women bystanders.

The explosion took place around 11.10 am near the high security entrance gate of the venue for ten-day long state-sponsored Sangai tourism festival.

Minutes after the blast, layers of water-tight security rings were thrown in at the restive twin-capital districts of Imphal West and Imphal East in view of the leaders' visit on Saturday.

The bomb exploded on the second day of a three-day bandh called by the underground Kangleipak Communist Party, Military council (KCP-MC) to denounce an alleged fake encounter killing of one of its cadres by Manipur police commandos recently.

Following the blast, additional security forces were rushed to the spot and all the entrance gates of the festival venue were sealed. Almost all the stalls at the festival venue were also shut down fearing more blasts.

Eye witnesses said the bomb, probably kept inside a rickshaw went off near the gate of the venue for the festival killing its puller - Md Kora (51) of Irong Umang village in Thoubal district - and injuring two women by-standers - Ch Bidyapati Devi (25) and Y Bala Devi (53).

The two, who received minor splinter injuries, were rushed to a private nursing home at the state capital.

A police officer said investigation was on to ascertain the veracity of the blast and a rapid search operation was also on in and around the spot. He did not rule the possibility of the deceased rickshaw pulled being the bomb carrier.

No group has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's blast till the time of filing this report.

Update :

Rickshaw-puller Mohammad Kora, the sole casualty in the blast at the Sangai Tourism Festival in Imphal, had been paid to transport the bomb which went off unexpectedly, Imphal police said.

Lying amid the rubble created by the improvised explosive device, Kora, 50, confessed that he had been approached by members of the outfit KCP-MC, police said.

They added he was not a militant; only in need of money.

“He hailed from Thoubal, the district where a KCP-MC member had been shot in an encounter on Monday, but we have ascertained that he himself had no militant links. He had three wives to support.

He was originally from Bishnupur district but was living between Thoubal district and Hatta in Imphal,” DIG (Imphal East), Clay Khongsai, said.

“The plan was that Kora would plant the sack and leave.

He was promised a hefty reward, we think anything between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000. But the bomb went off before Kora could plant it,” said Khongsai.

Kora’s family, meanwhile, refused to accept his body from RIMS Hospital today.

The family has told officials that they would not accept the body until they receive compensation.