GUWAHATI: The kerosene bomb attack at the residence of Shillong-based senior journalist Patricia Mukhim has drawn censure from media organisations across the Northeast.
The police said two miscreants, who came riding a two-wheeler, were involved in the incident. One of them had lobbed the bomb targeting the bedroom windows of Mukhim’s residence. No damage was caused in the blast.
“My home attacked with petrol bomb today at 8.35 pm. I am shocked. Those who did this ugly deed need to be arrested. I heard the explosion and saw the flames rising. It's a terrible feeling,” The Shillong Times editor wrote on Facebook soon after the incident on Tuesday. In another post, the Padma Shree awardee lauded the police for ‘responding with alacrity’.
The Journalists’ Forum Assam and the Shillong Press Club have condemned the attack. “…The incident should be investigated urgently and actions taken against the criminals under the law,” the forum said in a statement.
The Shillong Press Club urged the authorities to leave no stone unturned in tracking and nabbing those responsible in the attack. It also demanded that “exemplary punishment must be meted out to them at the earliest”.
No arrest could be made till Wednesday noon. “We are still examining the witnesses. We do have some leads and we are working on them,” Superintendent of Police, East Khasi Hills, Davies N Marak told TNIE.