A 40-year-old head constable of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) Rapid Action Force (RAF) sustained splinter injuries after unidentified people hurled a hand grenade at an RAF outpost in Manipur’s Imphal East district on Thursday night, police said on Friday.
Officers said that around 9 pm, unidentified people hurled a hand grenade at the gate of B/107 RAF at New Lambulane.
During the blast, Dhananjoy Rai, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, sustained injuries to his abdomen.
He was initially evacuated to Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Science (JNIMS) hospital in Imphal East. Later, he was referred to Shija Hospital, a private hospital in Imphal West.
Officials said the motive behind the grenade attack and the identity of the group responsible could not be ascertained so far.
According to Shija Hospital authorities, the splinters have been removed, and the patient is still under observation in the intensive care unit (ICU) under ventilator support.
Following the blast, the area was cordoned off, and a mass search operation was conducted in the New Lambulane area from early Friday morning. However, no suspects have been apprehended during the operation, officials said.
Earlier, CRPF personnel were also targeted on September 10, when the banned underground outfit National Revolutionary Front of Manipur (NRFM) opened fire on CRPF personnel patrolling at Khonghampat, along NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) in Imphal West district. No injuries were reported during the attack.
However, the arrest of two cadres of the banned underground outfit, who happened to be father and son, revealed the outfit’s responsibility for the attack. An AK-47 rifle along with ammunition was recovered from their possession.
