Alert in Assam after four held for grenade blasts

The Assam police on Friday arrested four men including an ULFA (anti-talks faction) militant for triggering grenade explosions in Lakhimpur town of eastern Assam on July 23.

Another grenade was exploded at Bakalighat in Karbi Anglong hill district on July 24 in which one person died and several others were injured. Assam Police suspect that the ULFA (Independent) and a breakaway faction of outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland coordinated to carry out attacks in the state. Both the groups are now based in the Myanmar jungles.

One of the four youngsters who were arrested by the police in connection with the July 23 grenade blasts, confessed that he was a member of the ULFA (I). Police also recovered an Improvised Explosive Device from near a bridge on the NH 52 in Darrnag district on Friday,

The series of grenade explosions has been termed by the police as an attempt by the ULFA (I) to make its presence felt around its ‘swahid divas’ (martyrs day) on July 27 last. An alert has been sounded in Assam anticipating more attacks.

The state police had information that a group of ULFA militants armed with weapons and explosive devices have sneaked into the State from its Myanmar base through Arunachal Pradesh. 

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has cancelled his official trip to South Africa in view of renewed belligerence shown by the extremists. The trip was scheduled from July 25 to August 2.