By Our Reporter
TURA: Failure by police and lack of commitment by politicians to contain the menace of extortion and militancy in Garo Hills has led to a second attempt by armed men to create fear psychosis by lobbing a hand grenade in the heart of Tura main market.
A youth walked into the Philips Radio Service showroom at Tura bazaar shortly after 6:30 pm on Friday and after briefly watching a live telecast walked off. Before doing so he threw a hand grenade onto the left corner of the shop sending the employees and the owner fleeing for cover.
The grenade failed to explode despite the safety pin having been removed at the time of the incident.
While the miscreant fled after lobbing the device, people ran for cover and police personnel soon took control of the area.
The grenade has been identified to be an HE 35 explosive device identical to the one left behind next to a drain near Soni Studio, Tura on the morning of December 11.
Interestingly, both the explosive devices have been found to be ‘outdated’ and beyond its ‘explosive’ warranty. The first device that was taken to the 2nd MLP Battalion headquarters in Goeragre for a timed detonation failed to explode even after a special sniper was deputed to puncture holes into the body of the grenade.
Meanwhile, a blanket security cover has been put into the main Tura market following the incident but many questions remain over the poor intelligence network of the police.
Questions have also been raised over the manner in which security forces have been going all out against militant outfits while losing track of petty criminals who have been making a killing in extortion in Tura at the expense of militant groups and absence of police personnel.