A powerful grenade was recovered Wednesday from inside the high-security zone of the Manipur secretariat, police said.
The explosive, wrapped in a piece of cloth, was found inside a VIP garage in the south block of the secretariat, Imphal district police chief Konsam Jayanta Singh told IANS.
Senior police and district administration officers rushed to the spot. A bomb disposal squad removed and defused the grenade.
"We don't know how the grenade landed in the high-security-zone area and investigation is on," Singh said.
Though, no group has claimed responsibility, but police strongly believed that it is the handiwork of certain rebel outfits.
No arrests had been made so far, but a manhunt is on to nab the culprits, the police official said.
The outlawed Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) had said that its armed wing - the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has planted bombs in strategic places to attack security forces in Manipur. PLA, the military wing of the The RPF is fighting for the last three decades for an independent homeland for the majority Metei community in Manipur.
There are more than 20 rebel outfits in Manipur with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy.