Blast rocks candidate's residence a day before Manipur polls

Imphal, Jan 27 (ANI): One person was injured in a powerful blast inside a toilet of a candidate's residence here on Friday, a day ahead of assembly polls in the state.

The blast took place around 10.50 a.m. in one of the toilets at the residence of Chandramani Singh, a retired director of the state's health services, who is contesting the upcoming elections.

Singh later informed the media here that an unknown man, who was accompanied by a rickshaw driver, must have executed the blast.

"I was told that around 11 O'clock, a bomb was found planted inside one of the toilets which are attached to my house. This is generally used by the outsiders. In 2007, in the last general elections, I too contested the election from this constituency," said Singh.

"I was told that one rickshaw driver escorted a person and the person came to the toilet and just after entering the toilet that person locked himself from inside and after few minutes everybody heard a loud sound," he added.

According to police sources, it was evident that the person injured in the blast, himself is the prime suspect and the explosion took place when he was in the process of planting the bomb in the toilet.

He has been admitted to a nearby hospital for treatment after which the police intends to grill him.

"I received the information from my control room that a bomb blast has happened at the residence of Dr. Chandramani Singh; so I immediately rushed to the spot and I found the bomb planted in the toilet. One suspect was found and he is going under treatment and would be interrogated thereafter and the object used in this incident is suspected to be RDX," said Inspector of Imphal Police Station, S Shantikumar.

Meanwhile, a case has been registered against the suspect.

Manipur will tomorrow vote to elect a new 60-member assembly. It is among one of the five states, where assembly polls are scheduled to take place between January 28 and March 3.

The other states, where elections would take place, are Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Punjab.

The result of the polls would be declared on March 6. (ANI)