Police probe Khuzama IED blast as Rio, SAPO condemn attack

KOHIMA – Kohima Police are investigating a low-intensity improvised explosive device (IED) blast that damaged a retaining wall on National Highway 2 near Khuzama village on Wednesday morning, as Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and the Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO) condemned the attack. No one was hurt.

The Khuzama blast went off between 7 am and 7:30 am on November 11. No group has claimed responsibility and no arrest has been reported.

What police have said about the Khuzama blast

Kohima Police described the explosion as a “low-intensity blast” that damaged roadside infrastructure, Nagaland Post reported. Its public relations officer said the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (South), the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, a Mobile Unit and other personnel were sent to examine the site, and that security in the area has been tightened as a precaution.

Additional Superintendent of Police K Soriso, who is also the PRO of Kohima Police, said verification and investigation into the circumstances were under way, All India Radio News reported. A Forensic Science Laboratory team from Dimapur was called in and collected evidence from the scene.

About 110 metres of copper wire was recovered from the spot, while a machete and chocolate wrappers were found on the hillside above the road, according to The Morung Express and Eastern Mirror. Trees on the opposite side of the road also showed signs of the blast, the Morung Express said, citing PTI.

The regional news page Inside Nagaland, which first reported the incident on Facebook, and Hub Network, citing a local eyewitness, said the explosion came shortly after an Army convoy passed the stretch. The police statements reported so far do not mention the convoy.

Rio, SAPO and NSCN/PRN condemn the blast

Chief Minister Rio condemned the incident in a post on X. “Such acts have no place in a civilised society,” he wrote, adding that it “creates fear among our people & threatens peace & harmony”. He said the state government had assessed the situation and was taking steps to ensure public safety and security.

SAPO, in a statement issued by its president Er Tepul Hopovi, called the blast “a direct and deliberate assault” on the peace and security of the area. “Today it was a retaining wall that bore the brunt, but tomorrow it could have been innocent lives,” the organisation said, as reported by Eastern Mirror and The Morung Express.

SAPO demanded that those responsible be traced, arrested and booked under the strictest provisions of law. It urged residents to stay calm, avoid rumours and report suspicious objects, movements or people to village authorities or the nearest police station, and pledged to cooperate with Nagaland Police and Khuzama Police Station.

The NSCN/PRN also condemned the Khuzama blast and the July Chümoukedima attack in a statement issued to Nagaland.News on Thursday. “Regardless of who may be responsible,” acts of violence that threaten lives and create fear among civilians “cannot be justified under any circumstances,” it said, and offered to cooperate with security agencies.

What is still not known

• Who planted the device, and whether the Army convoy was the intended target.
• Whether the copper wire, machete and wrappers found nearby are linked to the explosion.
• What type of explosive was used. The forensic findings have not been made public.
• Whether a case has been registered and under which sections. Police have not said.

Second IED blast on a Nagaland road this year

The Khuzama incident comes four months after an IED struck a convoy of Assam Rifles vehicles at Khopanala in Chümoukedima district on July 13. Havildar Mohammad Iqbal of 28 Assam Rifles was killed, and four other personnel and a civilian were injured, Eastern Mirror reported.

Police later announced a Rs 50,000 reward for information on that attack, and the National Investigation Agency took over the probe. On October 29, the NIA arrested a 35-year-old man in Jalukie, Peren district, in connection with the case, according to Hub Network.

Authorities have not linked the Khuzama blast to the July attack. Nagaland.News will update this report as the investigation progresses.

This story was updated on November 12 with police details and reactions from the Chief Minister, SAPO and the NSCN/PRN.