High alert sounded in Assam

Guwahati, Mar 15: Assam has been put under high alert today following a blast triggered by ULFA at the state Congress headquarters in which five party office bearers were injured, and an ambush by NDFB militants that killed eight BSF personnel and injured nine.

Security has been tightened across the state and additional forces will be deployed in sensitive areas while the security cover of poll candidates would be further reviewed, official sources said here today.

BSF Director General Raman Srivastava rushed to Ultapani in Kokrajhar near Indo-Bhutan border where the BSF personnel were ambushed, and reviewed the situation with senior police officers of the state.

Srivastava told reporters that it was "very tragic to lose so many people and counter-measures will definitely be taken".

"We cannot spell out the measures but our forces will tackle the situation," he said after visiting the injured at Bongaigaon Lower Assam Hospital.

The NDFB had ambushed a BSF vehicle at Ultapani reserve forest last evening, killing eight jawans and injuring nine others.

Meanwhile, forensic experts visited Congress headquarters here today and collected samples from the blast site for further investigation to determine whether the IED explosion was a time device or triggered by a remote control.

The anti-talk faction of ULFA, led by ''commander-in-chief'' Paresh Baruah claimed responsibility for the blast at the Pradesh Congress headquarters and the outfit had earlier declared that it would target Congress candidates in the forthcoming polls.

PTI