5 dead Rajdhani blast; security stacked-up along NEFR

Guwahati, Dec 13 (UNI) At least five people were killed and more than 12 injured in an early morning blast that tore through the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express from Dibrugarh.

Therailway authorities have stepped up security measures throughout the network to prevent any such recurrence.

North East Frontier Railway (NEFR) authorities informed that the damaged coach, which was a parcel van, was cut out and the main train allowed to move and would reach Guwahati by noon.

At least five people were killed and more than 12 injured when suspected Adivasi militants triggered a powerful blast in the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express at Sungajan near Dimapur early this morning.

The blast damaged the parcel van of the train.

NEFR sources said the blast occurred at 0130 hrs in the first compartment after the engine, which was carrying railway staff and a number of illegal passengers.

Police said a programmable timed device was planted there by some of the illegal passengers, who alighted at Morioni.

The blast did not damage the tracks and the driver managed to take the train to the nearest Bokajan station.

The injured were rushed to the Dimapur civil hospital where condition of 12 passengers was stated to very critical.

Police suspected Adivasi militants to be behind the incident as they had been active in the Tinsukia-Dibrugarh region from where the train originated.

The railway authorities stepped up security arrangements at all its railway stations and along the tracks as various groups, demanding reservation, could attack the railways as soft targets.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi condemned the incident.

Police said they had arrested the top brass of the Adivasi militants, who confessed that they had hatched plans to disrupt whole of Assam.

UNI