A day after an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Police Bazaar, a sense of fear still pervaded the commercial centre of Shillong, with shopkeepers and shoppers wary even as they tried to carry on with their daily lives.
A few shops remained closed today, though not the Electronic Centre, which was the most damaged in yesterday evening’s attack. The Electronic Centre is set between Delhi Mistan and Babla’s on the main pedestrian thoroughfare running through Police Bazar. Stairs leading up to the shop were damaged and the stores signboard was apparently ripped off in the explosion.
Many people were waiting for the barricades to be lifted in the area, which was eventually done at around 1pm, after police had gathered all the evidence they could from the scene.
One person present yesterday when the device went off at around 6:30pm was Kailash Verma, the owner of Delhi Mistan. He recalled that when the bomb went off, he at first thought it came from the kitchen. However, when he went outside he could smell potassium nitrate, the sort of chemical used in firecrackers.
“I don’t think this bomb was designed to kill anybody since it was planted in such an area and on a day where they was less crowd,” said Verma. On Sunday shops are required to be shut on account of Covid-19 restrictions. This, however, does not apply to eateries like Verma’s.
He also expressed his disappointment that a commercial hub like Khyndailad is so devoid of streetlights. The state government must improve CCTV coverage and streetlights in the area, Verma opined.
The mood was rather downcast among other members of the public. We feel safe but we can’t say for how long, one person, Abhijeet, said.
Deependu, another passerby, said that it could have been a lot worse had the perpetrators picked a busier day. “This incident could have been worse, leading to a lot of injuries had it been on a weekday or Saturday but thankfully it was on Sunday and fewer people were around. I just hope the government will act swiftly,” he said.
Ram, a resident of Tura, works in a restaurant in Police Bazaar. He said he was disheartened by such an incident as it could end up hurting businesses and, therefore, the ordinary people who work in them.
