Blast in Guwahati, 15 injured

    By Abdul Gani, TwoCircles.net,

    Guwahati: Suspected ULFA militant lobbed a grenade in front of Paltan Bazar Police station in Guwahati in which at least 15 people sustained injuries including two policemen on Sunday evening. The injured persons were shifted to Guwahati Medical College Hospital immediately after the blast which included three basketball players from West Bengal.

    Senior Superintendent of Police (City) A.P. Tiwari said that detailed can be revealed only after the investigation. This is the fourth blast in the state in the last 10 days after twin blast in Lakhimpur and another blast in Karbi Anglong.

    The two policemen who sustained injuries are identified as Hakim Ali and Hasan Ali. Police said that the blast took place at around 7.55 pm. Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who visited the injured persons in the hospital said that all the injured persons were out of danger.

    “Out of all the injured persons three are girls from Hasimara Kendriya Vidyalaya (West Bengal). They all are out of danger and tomorrow they will be sent to Bagdogra in a flight accompanied by our doctors. Home guard Hasan Ali’s condition is a bit critical as doctors are providing treatment to him and he should be out of danger soon,” the health minister told the reporters outside the GMCH. He also condemned the act as cowardice.

    Eyewitnesses said that two motorcycle borne militants lobbed the grenade at a police check post just near the Paltan Bazar police station.

    It may be mentioned here that the Assam Chief Minister Taurn Gogoi had recently stated that the Ulfa militants had been trying to carry out subversive activities in the run up to the Independence Day.

    The Assam police had earlier sounded a high alert across the state after receiving reports that the anti-talk faction of the militants had been trying to carry out attacks across the state and that the militants will be targeting police and security forces. The Chief Minister had also cancelled his official visit to South Africa, scheduled earlier this week, after the spate in violent incident