GUWAHATI, (India) - SEPARATIST rebels bombed the home of the top elected official in India's troubled northeastern state of Manipur, but the leader survived, police said on Tuesday.
The attack on Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh comes after a long period of relative calm in the northeast, where two dozen militant groups have fought for almost four decades, demanding separate homelands or regional autonomy.
Police said People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) rebels fired a shell on Mr Singh's fortified house late on Monday. He was home at the time, but nobody was hurt.
Mr Singh belongs to the Congress party, which heads India's ruling central coalition.
This was the third attempt on the life of Mr Singh, who was fired up on by militants in 2003 when his driver and bodyguard were killed, and again in 2006.
Immediately after the attack, a person identifying himself as a Prepak spokesman called local media offices and claimed responsibility of the attack. He warned Mr Singh to mend his ways or face more attacks, media reports said.
India's turbulent northeast region comprises eight states which are home to over 200 tribal and ethnic communities. -- REUTERS
