Assam Terrorised

In what is being considered by far the worst attack in Assam, 66 people were killed and about 470 injured in serial blasts in Guwahati and three other districts of the state as suspected Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami (HuJI) militants struck terror in the hub of the North-east.While 19 were killed and 64 injured in Kokrajhar, 12 died in Barpeta where 46 others were wounded.
The first of the 13 bombs, suspected to have been planted by Bangladesh-based HuJI members, went off at around 11.30 a.m. under the Ganeshguri flyover near the high-security capital complex housing the Assembly building,

followed by explosions at Paltan Bazar and Fancy Bazar here.Around the same time, bombs also went off in crowded market places of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta districts in lower Assam.

While six blasts rocked Guwahati, three explosions each took place in Kokrajhar and Barpeta and one in Bongaigaon.Chief minister Mr Tarun Gogoi said that of the six blasts in Guwahati, RDX was used in two of the explosions, adding a special task force was being set up to unearth the conspiracy behind the blasts.

Police do not rule out the hand of Ulfa behind the blasts with help from HuJI or jehadi elements, though Ulfa has denied involvement.At least 33 people were killed and 235 injured in the blasts in Guwahati where an indefinite curfew was clamped following protests by residents, who accused the police of delayed action. Angry mobs went on a rampage, attacking and torching police vehicles, fire tenders and buses, and pelted stones on police barricades at the blast sites.

Five people were injured in Bongaigaon, principal secretary (home) Mr Subhash Das told PTI. Two of the injured were taken this evening to Siliguri for treatment at 7.30 p.m. Brothers Mr Bipul Dutta (40) and Mr Shanti Ranjan Dutta (44) of Kokrajhar (about 224 km from Siliguri) were admitted to a Sevoke Road nursing home with serious burn injuries.

Both are currently in the ICU.A red alert has been sounded across the state and the Army has also been put on alert in view of the security situation, Mr Das said, after Mr Gogoi held a review meeting with his Cabinet colleagues and top officials.President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Md Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and BJP chief Mr LK Advani strongly condemned the blasts. The Prime Minister announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 1,00,000 each for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured.