Curfew in Asom as ULFA explosion rocks Guwahati

Guwahati, May 14: Suspected ULFA militants triggered a blast,killing two persons, in the heart of Guwahati city today even as curfewcontinued in several parts of violence-torn Tinsukia district of UpperAsom where seven people were killed yesterday.

In a blast at about 1230 hours in the busy Athgaon area of thecapital city, two persons were killed and 17 injured, SeniorSuperintendent of Police (SSP) S N Singh said.

The bomb was planted on a motorcycle in front of a building, he added.

Meanwhile, the situation in ethnic violence-torn Tinsukia districtremained tensed and curfew was expanded to the oil township of Digboitoday with tense mounting in the greater Digboi and Doomdooma areas.

The police station areas of Kakopathar, Dhola, Doomdooma andPengeri were placed under curfew yesterday after tea garden workersclashed with Assamese speaking youth.

According to Deputy Commissioner A K Afsar Hazarika, six peoplewere killed in the group clash while another one in an accident and 11were seriously injured when the violence took an ugly turn yesterday.

The government, Opposition political parties and even the ULFAhave urged both the groups to restrain themselves, saying that theclash started following confusion.

The Opposition, however, blamed the government of failure while the ULFA termed it as a Congress strategy.

The tea garden labourers as well as Assamese speaking youths weretrying regroup and relaunch attacks on each other even as securityforces had been fanning out to entire district.

There were also reports of ten youths absconding so far. Thetension has been brewing as rumours of attacks were further compoundingthe situation.

What began from a road blockade had now turned into a full fledgedbattle between tea garden labourers and the Assamese speaking youth,with authorities contemplating issuing of shoot-at-sight order ifsituation did not improve by evening.

Last night, three youths were stopped and burnt alive near Doomdoomaeven as curfew had been extended to Pengeri and Digboi police stations.Kakopathar, Dhola and Doomdooma police stations of the district arealready under curfew. Most of these areas are ULFA dominated. Threeothers were killed in clashes between the two feuding groups.

The refining activity at the Digboi refinery has been shut downand oil producing facilities of the district have also been badly hitafter the violence has broken out. The area is the most volatile partof entire Asom and has always been witnessing violence or protests asit is considered bastion of the ULFA.

Trouble began when the tea garden labourers, unable to procuretheir weekly ration because of the ongoing National Highway blockade,attacked the protestors.

Official source said the ULFA backed protestors who had beenblocking National Highway for past seven days following the death of aninnocent farmer, were pelted stones by angry tea garden labourers whowere not being able procure foodstuff following the road blockade.

The blockade began with the killing of one Buddheswar Moran byArmy on May 5. He was first declared an ULFA leader but later, the Armywas forced to retract and apologize, admitting that it was mistakenkilling and he was an innocent person. This led to indefinite blockadeof the National Highway.

The seven-day blockade had stopped all traffic beyond Doomdoomatown cutting the supply chain to the nearby tea garden as well as twomajor districts of Arunachal Pradesh. This has angered the commonpublic.

The MLAs of the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) visited theaffected areas this afternoon while the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) wouldbe sending its team tonight.

''Our former MLA Jagadish Bhuyan has been camping there. This is agovernment ploy of inciting one community against the other,'' said AGPpresident Brindabon Goswami.

UNI

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