3 Injured In Bomb Blast In SUV In Manipur Amit Shah Calls All-Party Meet

Three civilians were injured after a car exploded this evening in Manipur where ethnic violence has been raging for nearly two months, said sources.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has called an all-party meeting in New Delhi this Saturday to discuss the situation in the violence-hit northeastern state.

In the latest blast around 7:30 pm, the bomb was planted in an SUV in Bishnupur's Kwakta, one of the worst violence-hit regions in the state.

Bystanders reported seeing the driver leaving the Scorpio car and that it was empty, the sources said.

"The improvised explosive device (IED) was placed in the vehicle late Wednesday evening. Additional security forces have been deployed," a police officer said in Imphal.

The three civilians injured in the blast were evacuated to Bishnupur District Hospital. One among them was said to be serious.

Meanwhile, the combined security forces today dismantled a bunker reportedly used by the insurgents in Imphal West district, officials said.

Intermittent firings between the rival outfits have been reported from two places in Manipur's Imphal East and Imphal West districts today, but there was no death or injury.

Combing operations by various security forces are on in different parts of the state.

Internet ban has been extended till Sunday in Manipur, where violence erupted on May 3 after a Tribal Solidarity March was organized in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for the Scheduled Tribe status.

Sporadic incidents of violence have been reported from parts of Manipur since then. In one such latest incident, Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh's house was set on fire in Imphal.

The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kukis from reserve forest land, which led to a series of smaller agitations.

Meitis are a majority community Manipur, followed by tribal communities like the Nagas and Kukis.

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