Asom: Violence unabated, foreigners alerted

Guwahati, Jan 23: The ULFA continues their orgy of violence for the eight day on trot making Asom out of bounds for foreigners from US, UK and Australia.

Since last night there were three more incidents. In the first incident, a petrol pump was targetted near Changsri. In the second and the incidents, a high speed train and a crowded market at Bongaigaon were targetted.

However, damage and casualties were minimal as the ULFA missed all the targets, police source said.

Police said the grenade missed the fuel station, the second one exploded beneath a goods train while in the last explosion in Bongaigaon, the bystanders were seriously injured.

Meanwhile, Australia, Britain and the US issued warning to their nationals to keep away from the whole region sensing more trouble.

''This warden message is issued to alert US citizens travelling to and residing in North Eastern India, especially Asom, of the serious security threat due to a series of recent killings and bomb attacks,'' said an alert posted on the website of the US Consulate General in Kolkata.

Similar alerts have been issued by Australia and Britain.

The Asom government, however, was determined to hold the National Games on schedule.

''The National Games will be on time, come what may. It is our challenge,'' Asom Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said while speaking to newsmen at Silchar and Kolkata today.

Meanwhile, police said at Changsari, militants riding a motorcycle late Monday, lobbed a grenade outside a fuel station on a highway near Changsari, about 35 km west of here.

''Two people waiting near the petrol pump were injured,'' a police official said. They were admitted to a hospital.

Yesterday night's attack was the eighth explosion in last week in which nine people were killed and 42 injured.

UNI