Situation tense in violence-affected Asom

Guwahati, Jan 24 (UNI) A major disaster was averted with the police recovering a powerful bomb at Basugaon railway station in Kokrajhar district of western Asom this morning.

An Army bomb disposal squad defused the explosive at around 0630hrs.

The banned ULFA militants triggered an explosion at a bridge in Pakharijan of upper Asom's Tinsukia district, but none was injured in the blast.

The overall situation in the blast-rattled state, however, remained tense.

Meanwhile, the Asom government today ordered a judicial probe into the ''killing'' of three youths by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at Geleki in Sivasagar district late last night.

The youths were mistaken for ULFA cadres by a CISF patrol party.

Two of the youths, Dul Gogoi and Butun Gogoi, died on the spot, while the third, identified as Arup Saikia, succumbed to injuries at the Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh.

Official sources said here a patrol party of the CISF had opened fire on the three youths at Geleki, suspecting them to be members of the banned ULFA. But later it was established that the youths were not associated with the outfit.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, heading the Unified Command structure, expressed concern over the killings of the three youths and promised to punish the guilty.

He also announced Rs five lakh compensation to the next of kin of each of the slain youths and promised to take steps for rehabilitation of their family members.

Meanwhile, Congress members were reported to be quitting the party en masse in upper Asom, especially Tinsukhia district, following the ULFA's diktat to the Congress workers to leave or face its wrath.

However, Congress state headquarters here was yet to confirm the reports.

The ULFA triggered at least six blasts yesterday, including one in Guwahati, that left 25 people injured.

The Delhi-Dibrugarh Up Rajdhani Express and Down Dibrugarh-Amritsar Express had a miraculous escape last night when a powerful bomb was recovered from the railway track near the IOCL Refinery at Noonmati in Guwahati.

Police, on a tip off, rushed to the site and recovered the bomb from the rail track before the Rajdhani Express was due to pass through the area, railway sources said.

Another blast on the railway track between Diphu and Nilalong railway stations on Sunday night had damaged the track. The militants had targetted the Kamrup Express but the bomb exploded before the train passed through the area.

Train services were affected following the blast for several hours.

Two bombs were exploded at Bongaigaon and one each at Adabari in Guwahati, Kamalpur, Lumding and Goalpara during the past 24 hours in which two persons were killed and 25 injured.

Uni XC-SG-AB RR HT1920