Suspected IED blast on NH-2 in Nagaland; no casualties reported

An explosion occurred on Wednesday morning on the National Highway-2 near Khuzama village in Kohima district, officers suspect it was an improvised explosive device (IED) blast.

Director general of police (DGP) Nagaland, Rupin Sharma told HT that explosives were speculated to have been planted behind a retaining wall along the highway, with a wire triggering the explosion and damaging about two and a half meters of the wall. No casualties were reported, an officer said. An investigation is underway to ascertain the nature and intent of the blast, he added.

Chief minister Neiphiu Rio condemned the incident, saying in a post on X, “I strongly condemn the reported blast at Khuzama, Kohima. Such acts have no place in a civilised society. It creates fear among our people & threatens peace & harmony. The Govt. is seized of the situation. All steps are being taken to ensure the safety & security of our people.”

The Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO), a tribal body under whose jurisdiction the blast took place, said in a statement, “SAPO views this dastardly act not merely as an explosion, but as a direct and deliberate assault on the peace, security and dignity of the peace-loving citizens of Southern Angami in particular, and the people of Nagaland in general.”

Condemning the act, the organisation said it is a brazen challenge to values of peace, unity and brotherhood in the region, and SAPO would not allow those values to be held hostage by a handful of misguided miscreants.

“To plant a lethal explosive on a public highway, a lifeline traversed daily by students, farmers, commuters, patients, tourists and security personnel, is an act of utter cruelty and moral bankruptcy,” the body said.

It called for citizens to be vigilant, and pledged its cooperation to the investigating agencies to unearth the facts behind the act.

The NH-2 connects Nagaland with Manipur and Khuzama is the last village on Nagaland’s side of the inter-state boundary.