Four explosions rock Assam, no casualty reported; Ulfa hand suspected

Guwahati, Jan 26: Four grenade explosions in Upper Assam districts of Dibrugarh and Charaideo took place on Sunday. All four blasts occured in a span of 10 minutes - between 8.15 and 8.25 am, a police officer said. The first blast was reported outside a shop at Teokghat in Sonari police station area of Charaideo district.

Three explosions followed soon after in Dibrugarh district - two at Graham Bazar and AT Road, beside a gurudwara, and another at the oil town of Duliajan Tiniali, just 100 metres from the local police station, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Padmanabh Barua told PTI.

Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahant told ANI, "We have received the information about the explosion in Dibrugarh. An investigation has begun, it is being probed that who is involved in this."

The incident comes at a time when the country is celebrating its 71st Republic Day.

CCTV footages available at Duliajan Tiniali showed two motorcycle-borne youths lobbed a grenade and sped away, the ASP explained. The blasts at Graham Bazar and AT Road were carried out with time-induced Improvised Explosive Devices, he stated.

According to sources, the explosions were suspected to be the handiwork of the ULFA(Independent), but nothing has been established as yet. The ULFA(I), along with several other proscribed outfits in the Northeast, had called for a boycott of the Republic Day celebrations.

Taking to Twitter, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the blasts and vowed to take strong action against the culprits. "Strongly condemn the bomb blasts in a few places of Assam. This cowardly attempt to create terror on a sacred day only exhibits the frustration of the terror groups after their total rejection by the people. Our Govt will take the sternest action to bring the culprits to book," he tweeted.

A source in the chief minister's office said Sonowal has asked Assam Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta to deal with the situation and nab the culprits involved in the explosions at the earliest.