Guwahati:A 41-year-old mother of three lost her left leg after stepping on a suspected buried explosive device while grazing cattle in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Tuesday, raising fresh fears of unexploded ordnance in farming areas.The victim, Durga Devi Bhattarai, was in a field near Bazaghari village when the device went off. She is the wife of Jeevan Bhattarai, secretary of Bazaghari village.Fearing more explosives are buried in surrounding fields and grazing areas, villagers have urged the authorities to investigate the nature and origin of the device, deploy a bomb disposal squad and sanitise the area.At a media briefing on Tuesday, ADGP (law and order) Lhari Dorjee Lhatoo said police have finalised a plan to destroy illegal poppy farms in 516 villages across 10 districts with the help of security forces. “Anyone involved in the practice will face serious consequences as per the law,” he warned.On the killing of two Kuki youths from Taphou Kuki village, he said a proposal to transfer the case to the NIA was at an advanced stage and orders were awaited. The bodies were found in the jungles of Senapati district, about 14 km from the national highway, and operations were on to catch those responsible.Lhatoo said additional CRPF personnel had been requisitioned and would arrive soon for deployment in vulnerable areas such as Govajang. On alleged extortion along NH-37, he appealed to people not to obstruct action by police and security forces.
