7 killed, 55 injured in twin blasts in Assam

 

Guwahati, NOVEMBER 22 (AGENCIES): Two powerful explosions shook Nalbari town in Assam on Sunday, killing seven people and wounding at least 55, officials said. A security alert has been sounded in the state. The blasts took place in a span of about 20 minutes. Nalbari is about 70 km west of Assam’s main city Guwahati.  “Seven people were killed and 55 injured in the explosions,” a senior police official said.
Police had earlier said there were three explosions. They later said there were just two blasts and the third explosion was that of firecrackers going off in a nearby locality.
The first blast occurred around 10 am just outside the Nalbari police station and the second about 20 meters away around 10.20 am.  “The explosives were stuffed inside bicycle frames, and the cycles were parked at the two sites,” Nalbari district police chief Jitmol Doley said.
The authorities acted quickly, announcing a security alert. Police used loudspeakers to ask people to be vigilant against unattended bicycles and cars.
Police also said that a nine-member ULFA hit squad had entered Assam to stage terror attacks.  “A massive hunt is on to nab the ULFA hit squad,” an official at the Assam Police headquarters said.
Most victims of Sunday’s bombings were morning shoppers or vendors as there was a Sunday market teeming with people close to the attack sites.  “There was panic and chaos with human limbs strewn all over the place and blood splattered on the road,” said Ankur Das, a witness.
“The sound of the first blast was deafening. The second took place in front of our eyes. Many who came rushing to the site of the first blast got injured in the second blast,” said another witness, Biplab Barman.  Police blamed the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
“The modus operandi suggests it was the handiwork of the ULFA. The explosions are nothing but an attempt to make a point after two of their top leaders were arrested,” an intelligence official said.
ULFA ‘foreign secretary’ Sasha Choudhury and ‘finance secretary’ Chitraban Hazarika, in police remand since November 6, were arrested by the Border Security Force (BSF) near Gokul Nagar in Tripura Nov 5 while trying to sneak into India. The duo were based in Dhaka.
On Monday, ULFA rebels blew up a petroleum-laden train in eastern Assam. At least 20 wagons went up in flames and a loss of Rs.100 million was estimated.
The ULFA has been fighting for an independent homeland in Assam since 1979. Insurgency in the state has claimed about 10,000 lives in the past two decades.

 

ULFA denies hand in Nalbari blasts

GUWAHATI, November 22 (PTI): Banned militant outfit ULFA has denied involvement in today’s twin bomb blasts in Nalbari. “ULFA is in no way involved in the bomb blasts and it is just a conspiracy by a certain section to derail the talks process,” Hira Sarania, commander of the outfit’s 709 battalion, suspected to be behind the attack, told a local news channel today.
“The allegation is totally motivated and has been made to discredit the organisation. There have been several occasions in the past too when such misinformation had been made against us,” Sarania added. Asked who was behind the so-called conspiracy, Sarania said “It will soon come out.” “We are not interested in showing our strength in this manner,” Sarania said when asked whether ULFA had carried out the blast following the arrest of their top leaders -- “Finance Secretary” Chitrabon Hazarika and “Foreign Secretary” Sashadhar Choudhury. The Centre has appointed interlocutor P C Haldhar for furthering peace talks in Assam. He was in Guwahati last week to have talks with state government officials on the issue.