At least two persons, including a woman, were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Meghalaya capital on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
Outlawed militant outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council has claimed responsibility.
Police, quoting eyewitnesses, said that the blast at the busy Laitumkhrah market was a moderate one and shook the nearby buildings.
East Khasi Hills district police chief Sylvester Nongtnger said that the wall of a tea shop situated in the parking lot and windows of the adjacent building got damaged.
The two injured persons are currently being treated at the Nazareth Hospital.
The bomb squad, crime scene unit, and the dog squad have visited the blast site and collected evidence, while security forces led by senior police officials have launched an operation to nab the culprits.
Additional Director General of Police, I. Nongrang, Nongtnger, and Deputy Commissioner Isawanda Laloo also visited the blast site.
Condemning the incident, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, in a tweet, said: “Home Minister Lahkmen R and officials of Meghalaya police have apprised me on the matter and further investigation is being carried out.”
Demanding a high-level probe, Congress East Shillong MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh, said that the IED was a timed device and was buried at the market place.
