Blast toll at 3; ULFA warns Hindi speaking people

Guwahati, Jan 18: The death toll in yesterday's Guwahati bombblast mounted to three while the ULFA reissued a fresh warning to theHindi-speaking people to leave Asom.

The police informed that the death toll in the Gangeshguri bombblast last night had mounted to three with two more succumbing toinjuries late at night.

This afternoon angry protestors blocked one of the main roads ofthe city protesting against the killings creating huge traffic chaos.They demanded that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi visit them.

Meanwhile, the ULFA, through their mouthpiece 'Freedom' warned theHindi-speaking people in Asom to leave and warned them of 'toughaction'. The fresh threat hightened panic and Mr Gogoi is chairing acabinet meeting later at night to take stock of the situation.

On the other hand the powerful All Assam Students Union has warnedthe outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom to refrain from accusingthe students leaders of being stooges of the government machinery.

The outlawed ULFA had accused AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya of acting as a 'dalal of the Indian government'.

Taking exception to ULFA chief Pareash Baruah's remark, AASUgeneral secretary Tapan Kumar Gogoi told reporters, ''We cannot stoopso low. We want to warn ULFA chief Paresh Baruah in decent language torefrain from making any such remark in future. The ULFA is fighting forsovereign Assam. We simply do not agree with it.''

The AASU leader said that they did not need any certificate from ULFAto prove their commitment towards the people of Asom. ''We don't haveany high command who dictates to us what to do. If there is anyone whocan dictate terms to us it's the people of Asom,'' Mr Gogoi said. Hewondered why the ULFA was silent on the issue of illegal migrants ofBangladesh who were threatening the demography of the state and eventhe existence of indigenous people.

He also reiterated that the AASU was a secular organisation. ''Wehave been fighting for the deportation of all Hindus or Muslims whocame to Asom from Bangladesh after 1971,'' he said adding that ULFAchief Paresh Baruah might not be aware of these developments whileoperating from Dhaka.

Referring to the remarks of the ULFA leader, AASU advisorSammujjal Bhattacharya, who was also present said, ''Time will provewhether we are loyal soldiers of Asom or not. We are fighting for thecause of greater Assamese society from our own soil.'' Meanwhile, armyoperation was on and seven ULFA militants had been arrested fromvarious parts of Upper Asom. However, the details had not beendisclosed.

UNI

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