PM, Sonia visit Assam blast victims

Guwahati, Nov 1 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi visited the victims of Assam blasts at a hospital in Guwahati on Saturday.

Dr. Singh and Sonia arrived in Guwahati this afternoon and drove straight to the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital to meet the injured in the serial blasts of October 30.

There was tight security around the hospital.

They will also visit Guwahati Medical College Hospital to know the well being of the injured admitted there.

Later, the Prime Minister will review the security situation in the state at a high level meeting with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, members of his cabinet and senior officials.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who visited the blast sites at Kokrajhar and Barpeta districts of the state, said both the Centre and the state government would ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Twelve high intensity serial blasts rocked Guwahati and some other cities of Assam on Thursday morning, leaving over 70 dead.

The first explosions took place near the Ganeshguri flyover near the high-security capital complex housing the Assembly building, followed by explosions at Paltan Bazar and Fancy Bazar in Guwahati.

Around the same time, bombs also went off in crowded market places of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta districts in lower Assam.

Indian Mujahideen, a frontal organisation of HUJI and Lashkar - e Toiba - has claimed responsibility for Assam serial blasts. It made the claim in an SMS sent to a local TV channel.

ANI