NSG, NIA and Nagaland Police intensify Chümoukedima IED blast investigation as DGP Rupin Sharma seeks public assistance and leads
DIMAPUR — Probe into the deadly July 13 IED blast in Chümoukedima gathered pace on Wednesday as forensic experts from National Security Guard (NSG), National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Nagaland Police launched a joint post-blast investigation, while Director General of Police (DGP) Rupin Sharma appealed to the public for crucial leads.
Speaking to Hornbill TV, the DGP said that NSG had been requisitioned to assist the state police because of its expertise in post-blast forensic investigations. “Our forensic capabilities for post-blast investigations are not as advanced as those of the NSG. Since they are foremost experts in this field, we requisitioned their team yesterday to assist us. Once we receive their report, we will decide the next course of action,” Sharma said.
He added that the state government is expected to decide within the next day or two whether the case should be formally handed over to any central agency for a comprehensive investigation.
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Chümoukedima IED blast: DGAR calls attackers 'enemies of Nagaland', urges peace
The blast occurred on Monday afternoon along the Chümoukedima (A) village-Shokhuvi village road when a Mahindra pickup vehicle carrying personnel of the 28 Assam Rifles was hit by an improvised explosive device. Havildar Mohammad Iqbal was killed in the explosion, while four other Assam Rifles personnel and a civilian sustained injuries.
The DGP shared that the vehicle had just started its journey from the nearby Assam Rifles camp, leaving investigators with a very narrow geographic and temporal window to track the perpetrators' movements.
Appealing for public cooperation, he urged members of the public to share any information that could assist the investigation, including details of suspicious persons or vehicles seen in the area around the time of the blast.
The DGP also appealed to shopkeepers to inform the police if anyone had recently purchased or enquired about items such as batteries, electrical fuse wires or small pre-cut iron rods, which investigators suspect may have been used in fabricating the IED.
Sharma, however, cautioned against speculation over the identity of those behind the attack. “We cannot rule out or believe anybody at this stage,” he said, emphasising that all active groups remain under their radar.
“We will go strictly by the physical and forensic evidence we recover,” he maintained.
The joint investigation team comprising bomb disposal experts, forensic specialists and investigators from the NSG, NIA and Nagaland Police continued to collect and analyse evidence from the blast site on Wednesday.
The July 13 attack has drawn widespread condemnation from the governor, chief minister, civil society organisations and Naga political groups, all of whom have described the incident as an attempt to disrupt the prevailing peace in Nagaland.