Guwahati violence: Vigil along Indo-Bhutan border

Guwahati, Nov 30: As parts of upper Assam were limping back to normal in the aftermath of November 24 adivasi clashes, western Assam bore the brunt afresh today with two blasts rocking Kokrajhar district's Srirampur area at the Assam-West Bengal border.

Vigil was also tightened along the Indo-Bhutan and Assam-West Bengal border to check any attempt by adivasi militants to attack passing vehicles and passengers in the area, police said.

Kokrajhar Superintendent of Police A Kalita said adivasi militants were suspected to be behind the two blasts near the Srirampur inter-state check gate this morning.

Two persons were injured in the blasts with the first bomb being planted in a truck and the second in a bicycle parked near a petrol depot. Another bomb was recovered from the area.

Traffic movement along the inter-state check gate, which was regulated following the blasts, had since resumed.

Meanwhile, the indefinite curfew, imposed in the Rangapara area in Sonitpur district, was relaxed for two hours from 1400 hours.

District Deputy Commissioner Kamal Goswami informed that the situation in the all three sub-divisions,which had witnessed unrest, was under control, prompting the relaxation of curfew by two hours today, while it had been relaxed for only an hour yesterday.

Indefinite curfew was clamped in Rangapara area after adivasi and tea tribe picketers gathered in large numbers near Rangapara and damaged the police station.

Police had to resort to lathicharge and lobbying of teargas shells to control the mob.

The situation in other parts of the state was also under control with the state government deploying security personnel in large numbers in all sensitive areas to thwart any mass gathering or unrest.

UNI