Meghalaya police arrest two HNLC overground workers in East Jaintia Hills IED blast case

Meghalaya police arrested two overground workers of the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) on December 18 in connection with an improvised explosive device (IED) blast at a Dhar Company site in Shymplong, East Jaintia Hills.​

The explosion on December 15 damaged a water tanker at a workers' campsite but caused no casualties, with the driver escaping unharmed despite being inside the cabin. A senior police officer stated that the duo had confessed to planting the device, which involved high explosives such as commercial gelatin sticks, as confirmed by the bomb detection squad.​

East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar described the incident as part of a broader plot, with a special investigation team pursuing multiple leads. The case has been registered under sections of the Indian Penal Code for attempt to murder, terrorist acts, and mischief, along with the Explosive Substances Act; no charges related to death were invoked owing to the absence of fatalities.​

The HNLC claimed responsibility, linking the attack to the company's alleged refusal to pay extortion demands tied to Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar. Police rejected the group's assertion of a death as baseless, noting that social media reports of casualties were incorrect.​

Authorities expect to produce the accused in court on December 19 and seek remand for deeper interrogation, while operations target remaining suspects.