Skip to content Skip to navigation

Blast in the Time of Festival: 5 dead, 20 injured

Guwahati: In yet another ‘handiwork,’ ULFA explodes a powerful bomb in the busy Machkhowa areas on Saturday morning at around 7-30 which left four people dead and more than twenty injured.

The blast that rocks again in the time of the grand Ambubachi mela atop Kamakhya and Asian Athletic Grand Prix at Sarusajai, took place in front of a mosque. All those four were killed on the spot.

The bomb was placed beside a small tea stall at the daily fruit and vegetable market. Most of the vendors and visitors were not present in the morning when the bomb exploded.

The injured people have been admitted to the nearby hospital for treatment by the people who rushed to the spot hearing the huge sound the blast made. The conditions of four of these people are critical.

Immediately after the incident, police and top ranked police and civil officials including the Deputy Commissioner Abinash Joshi arrived in the spot and started investigation. Later talking to the reporters on the spot, Mr Joshi says the blast is a handiwork of ULFA.

Meanwhile, the city police beefs up security arrangement in view of the grand fair and festival at the Kahakhya temple and also to ensure security to the athletes across the Asian countries in view of the 16th Asian Grand Prix. The event is inaugurated on Saturday by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Panic spreads among those who gatecrash the Kamakhya temple premises to participate in the on going Ambubashi fair. These people have arrived in the fair spot from the last week.

Comments

A. R.'s picture

The explosion took place at Machkhowa and that too in front of a mosque at 5.30 A.M. and not at 7.30 A.M. The time 5.30 A.M. of Muslim Fajar Salah( morning prayer ) Immediately after the incident, police and top ranked police and civil officials including the Deputy Commissioner Abinash Joshi arrived in the spot and started investigation. Later talking to the reporters on the spot, Mr Joshi says the blast is a handiwork of ULFA. How can A. Joshi imediately blame ULFA without proper investigation. This is second blast in Muslim area within weeks. The last week was - The explosion took place at a predominantly Muslim area in village Gulutuk in Kamrup district, 50 km from Guwahati. The Guluktuk blast - "The blast was carried out at the behest of the RSS and was executed by the organisation's youth wing with Abhijit Sarma as the kingpin," ULFA spokesman Raju Baruah said in a statement received by IANS. "Sarma is a member of RSS's youth wing," the statement said. How can a place which is 100% Muslim - a bomb blast ? This is the main question which the local people's should think.

Pages

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

"Kha Yurna Mataimei" to set new trend in Tangkhul filmdom

14 Feb 2016 - 10:52am | Lester Makang
Produced on a big budget scale under the banner of Meiphung Productions as its debut project, Tangkhul feature film "Kha Yurna Mataimei" with all its romantic, patriotic and emotional contents is all...

Workshop on mushroom on Oct 26

22 Oct 2016 - 9:36pm | AT News
A day-long workshop on MUSHROOM ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT is being organised at Institutional Biotech Hub, Cotton College, Guwahati on October 26.  in association with Mushroom Development...

Brahma, Rabha, Bwiswmuthiary files nominations

4 Apr 2014 - 3:56pm | Hantigiri Narzary
Sitting Assam Transport Minister Chandan Brahma filed nomination papers on BPF ticket for No. 5 Kokrajhar Lok Sabha Constituency to the Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner at DC office.Brahma...

Innocent killing: Unrest oozing in Sivasagar

31 Jan 2009 - 4:36pm | editor
An uneasy situation is escalating in upper Assam's Sivasagar district after an innocent youth was killed while police, army and security forces locked at an encounte with ULFA at Charaideo on...

Other Contents by Author

The Assam government is all out to thwart the bandh calls and strikes across the state for the time being. In an emergency message on Monday,the government has asked the district administrations to ensure attendance of all employees during bandhs and strikes. The absence would be considered as unauthorised leave.
Sensation prevails in Guwahati when a post graduate student was found dead on Monday. Identified as Pritam Das, the body was found at the No 1 hostel in Bhangagarh at 6.30 in the evening. Police called it a suicide case. According to sources, the 25 year old who hailed from Tinsukia district has been hailing from depression for the last 3 days. It is learnt that he mired in depression after his laptop went mission where he stored some incriminating materials which was sent in MMS to some of his friends.He also invited wrath from his girlfriend who stays in Delhi.
In a bid to rein in the wanton voice of anger anf protest, the Assam government has also requested the individuals and organisations in the BTAD not to organise any procession and rallies for next one month in the BTAD area keeping in view the sensitivity of the issue. The government made the appeal as the rallies and processions might aggravate tension in the affected areas.
With normalcy back in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts, the government starts the process for rehabilitation of the displaced people in the three violence-hit districts. Thousands of people are keen to leave the refugee camps. Relief and rehabilitation of the displaced people of the three violence hit districts has started. However, about another 2,45,831 inmates of the relief camps are still living in over 200 such camps in these three districts. The process of verification of land documents of the inmates of the relief camps are underway started in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts.
Life in the BTAD areas is limping back to normalcy. There is no report of any fresh violence during the last six days. But security forces have been maintaining a close vigil. There are close to 40 companies of central paramilitary forces in the three districts now. The deployment of security forces would remain in the BTAD areas. The day curfew have been lifted and only night curfew prevails now in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts.
The Sports Minister Sri Ajit Sing inaugurated the 8th edition of C E M's Cup Invitational Prize Money Football Tournament at NL Daulagupu sport complex on Monday in presence of the Chief Executive Member, Dima Hasao Autonomous Council and others. The inaugural match was played in between Fiangpui Youth Club and Kholkuol Club. Football teams from within the district of Dima Hasao and outside the district as well as teams from outside the state have confirmed their participation in the tournament. The outstation teams which have confirmed their participation so far are Blood Mouth, Hailakandi, Morning Star, Diphu, KA, DCC Lumding, FC Bethlem, Mizoram, Dimapur XI, Nagaland, Borok FC, Tripura...
The Assam government steps up crackdown against a section of financial institutions who have duped lakhs of people in the name of saving schemes. The Reserve Bank of India has already sent circler to the state to help the government rein in these financial firms.
The first one special train left Guwahati for Bangalore carrying 250 people from the north east on Saturday. The train left for Bangalore at 2.35 in the afternoon after it was seen off by ministers Nilamoni Sen Deka and Rockybul Hussain at the Guwahati railway station. The passengers train has 14 sleeper class coaches.
Over 50,000 people took out a huge rally in Sivasagar on Saturday demanding immediate expulsion of illegal migrants. Organized by 26 organizations, the rally demanded steps to detect and drive away the religious extremists who have been trying to disrupt the unity, peace and the rich communal harmony of Assam. Students from the colleges, schools and the public of Sivasagar came out and joined the rally willingly to make it a success.
An English book of verse titled ‘Great Songs’ was released on Aug 26 in the Guwahati Press Club by eminent educationist Dr Kishori Mohan Pathak, formerly Vice Chancellor of Tezpur University. The full title of the book is ‘Great Songs — English Rendering of Srimanta Sankardeva’s Bargît’. As the name indicates, it is translation of 35 Bargîts composed originally by Srimanta Sankaradeva. Sankari scholar Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti has translated the Bargîts into contemporary English. The book has been written to give readers across the world a glimpse into the philosophy of Mohapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva. Bargît is one of the main...