One dead in mysterious blast

Staff Correspondent

Shillong, March 21: One Andreas Nongrum was killed when a powerful blast rocked his residence at Pumura in East Khasi Hills on Friday night. The incident, which shocked the district administration, had prompted a high level inquiry to unravel the truth.

Nongrum is a mager of a stone quarry where gelatin sticks are used for blasting.

Superintendent of Police (SP) East Khasi Hills MH Kharkrang confirmed to The Sentinel that possession of gelatin sticks by the deceased is well beyond doubt.

However, police are still uncertain about the cause of the explosion - whether it accidental or sabotage.

“Our bomb squad has completed its initial investigation and collection of samples of the explosive materials meant for forensic tests,” stated the SP, even as a well-placed source in the bomb squad cell indicated that the blast was quite powerful.

The deceased was alone in the house when the blast took place. His wife was away when the incident took place. The body of the victim was handed over to the family members on Saturday.

However, the investigating team is probing at all the angles into the blast while ruling out the militant angle.