Major disaster averted as bomb recovered in Assam train

Goalpara (Assam), Aug 12: Passengers of the Kamakhya-Puri Express had a close shave after a powerful bomb was found from the train in lower Assam's Goalpara district, where another powerful bomb was also recovered from a house today (Aug 12), official sources said.

The five kg Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) was recovered from a sleeper coach of the Puri-bound train at Pancharatna railway station at around 5.30 am during checking.

An electronic detonator, batteries and electrical wire were also recovered along with the IED, the sources said. Though it was not immediately known which militant outfit was responsible for this, one person was arrested.

Another powerful IED weighing about three kg was seized from a house at Hatimura, under Dudhnoi police station, during a search operation by the security forces today, the sources said.

The house owner, Dholaram Rabha, who was suspected to be a militant of either local extremist groups Rabha Viper Army or the Garo National Liberation Army, was arrested.

The police, RPF and Army have launched intensive joint search operations in the district on the tip off that insurgents might resort to subversive activities in the run up to the Independence Day.

The Centre has alerted the states about the chances of a terror attack, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East, in the run up to the Independence Day.

The anti-talk faction of the ULFA and 11 other N-E insurgent outfits have jointly called for a boycott of the Independence Day celebrations and a general strike on August 15.

PTI