Three jawans of the Border Security Force (BSF) sustained injuries in a bomb blast at the venue of Chhath Puja in Telipati, Imphal East district.
The injured jawans have been identified as Lalkumar (54), Koram Mahindra (30) and Santram (30).
According to the police, the incident occurred on Saturday night. The police officials were informed about the blast at around 11:30 pm and the injured were immediately rushed to the hospital.
Sitaram Sahu, secretary Vhaisya Youth Club (VYC) Telipati told ANI, "The blast occurred despite the presence of heavy BSF security and police personnel. Chhath is one of the biggest festivals for us. The villagers here strongly condemn this incident. This is extremely saddening."
A local, Deepak Prasad vehemently condemned the blast and urged that such incidents should not be repeated in future.
"Chhath Puja celebrations started here on Saturday evening at around 4 pm and concluded at 8 pm. It was scheduled to begin again from 4 am on Sunday. The security forces failed to prevent this incident. The injured have been taken to JNIMS Hospital. However, the doctors have stated that the injured persons are out of danger," Prasad said.
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Under the aegis of VYC Telipati, residents of Telipati staged a sit-in protest condemning the act.
A case has been registered in this matter at the nearest police station.