Militants scare Assam with 4 serial explosions on Republic Day
27 Jan 2020
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Day after The Wire columnist and Shaheen Bagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam was booked for ‘cut Assam from India’ statement, multiple explosions rocked Assam on Sunday morning as the country was celebrating its 71st Republic Day.
At least four blasts have reportedly taken place in upper Assam. Three of the explosions took place in Dibrugarh district and one in Charaideo district of Upper Assam, all in a span of 10 minutes - between 8.15 and 8.25 am on Sunday - police sources said.
However, no one was reported injured in the blasts.
Banned outfit ULFA (Independent) has claimed responsibility for the four powerful explosions that took place early on Sunday prior to Republic Day celebrations in the state.
The first blast was at a shop in Graham Bazaar located near the National Highway NH 37. The second blast occurred near a Gurudwara on AT Road in Dibrugarh while another blast took place near Duliajan police station in Dibrugarh.
The other explosion took place in Teok Ghat under Sonari town of Charaideo district.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal described the incident as a 'cowardly attempt to scare away people on a sacred day'. "Strongly condemn the bomb blasts in a few places of Assam. This cowardly attempt to create terror on a sacred day only exhibits the frustration of the terror groups after their total rejection by the people. Our government will take the sternest action to bring the culprits to book," he tweeted.
United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) (ULFA-I) had called for a 'general strike' on Sunday, asking citizens not to participate in the Republic Day celebrations.
Assam police had informed central intelligence agencies about United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) conducting reconnaissance activities some ten days ago.
Intelligence reports from Guwahati also stated that the “assigned work could be the plan of the outfit to create disturbance, sabotage activities in Assam in view of Republic Day and the history of ULFA and other secessionist outfits declaring boycott of the celebration of Republic Day."
An alert has also been sounded across Manipur, with police personnel now keeping an eye on any activity of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) in the state.
Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahant has said that investigation into the blasts has begun. “We have received the information about the explosion in Dibrugarh. An investigation has begun, it is being probed that who is involved in this,” said Assam DGP.
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