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

Random Stories

Tribute to William Nagar blast victims

20 Feb 2018 - 10:06pm | AT News
SHILLONG: Amid shock and anger hundreds of people in Shilling took to the streets on Tuesday evening to pay tribute to Jonathone N Sangma and five others who lost their lives in the rebel attack in...

Won’t blame Modi: Bedi

10 Feb 2015 - 10:07am | Prasanta Baruah
Caught in her impending defeat, Kiran Bedi on Tuesday refused to blame it o Narendra Modi.In her twitter in the morning, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate said that any defeat should be a...

Security tightened in Sivasagar before Republic Day

25 Jan 2012 - 6:34pm | editor
After the boycott call from the rebel groups of North-East India, the Assam government has increased keeps strong vigil on the law and order situation of the State. The Sivasagar district...

ABSU, AASU demand impartial inquiry

8 Aug 2016 - 9:58pm | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
A joint delegation team of All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and All Assam Students Union (AASU) led by Promod Boro, president of ABSU visited Balajan Tinali bazar on Monday in Kokrajhar district to...

Other Contents by Author

The first Horizon Series Cultural Programme of the year 2013 was successfully held on 5th January 2013 from 6 pm onwards at Soul Speak Studio hall, Dimapur. The main programme saw performances from three artistes- Chuba Jamir, Kagholi Chisi and Toshi Aier.Chuba Jamir, who is also known as Kishore Kumar of Nagaland presented songs in Hindi, Engish and Ao including his latest remix of the you tube sensation Gangnam Style in Hindi which turn out to be a hit with the audience. Kagholi Chisi sang a few cover songs and Toshi Aier presented 3 Ao songs.A regular feature of Horizon Series programme is the open mic cum jam session with the intention of giving a platform to artistes wanting to perform...
ULFA seems to have stepped up its activities in the run up to the Republic Day. A hardcore ULFA militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Assam's Tinsukia district. Acting on a tip-off about the presence of a group of five ULFA cadres in Hebeda village, police launched an operation in the area.In an ensuing encounter the militant was killed while others managed to escape. The slain militant was identified as Debojit Duara alias Wangli Asom. His elder brother, also a suspected ULFA militant, was killed in an encounter in 2007. Police recovered a grenade and some ammunition from the slain militant. A massive combing operation was launched in the area to arrest other...
Security forces recovered two Improvised Explosive Devices from Nagajan area near Duliajan on Friday evening.The IEDs were planted near oil pipe lines in the area. Later, the army's bomb squad team defused the IEDs. ULFA’s anti-talk faction led by Paresh Baruah is active in upper Assam and is trying to trigger explosions in few areas ahead of the Republic Day.
Massive protest over rape and molestation is spreading across the state on Saturday. Members of the All Assam Association of the Deaf staged a demonstration here to protest against the rape of a mentally challenged woman allegedly by CRPF men in Lakhimpur district.Wearing pieces of black cloth across their mouths and held placards, the protestors shouted slogans demanding capital punishment for the culprits.The protest was triggered by an incident in North Lakhimpur, when two CRPF personnel allegedly raped a mentally challenged woman in Chaulduwa area in Lakhimpur town on Thursday.
Tinsukia police have arrested five persons for gangraping a 13-year-old girl on Friday. The incident took place at Sukanpukhuri tea estate under Makum police station on the intervening night of January 2-3 after one of the accused, Jogeshwar Mali, lost his cellphone.According to police, Tusu incited her husband and his friends to punish the girl and the four caught hold of the girl at a lonely stretch of the estate and raped her.The police arrested Tusu, Mali and his friends Sanesh Nayak, Tirnath Mali, Ram Chandra Patnaik after the girl told the family about the incident.
A lower court in Lakhimpur has jailed a CRPF jawan on Friday charging him with raping a physically challenged woman on Thursday. Three of his colleagues are on the run. The incident took place at Chauldhowa village. According to eyewitness, about four CRPF personnel forcibly took the physically challenged woman, who was passing by the CRPF camp on NH 52 in the area to the nearby jungle. Some locals raised an alarm. While they managed to catch Mohan Singh, the others fled. The victim has been sent for medical examinations.
In a huge setback for Congress ahead of the panchayat elections, a senior Congress leader in BTAD area has been sent to jail on Friday a day after he was caught red handed when he found with a woman Thursday morning. BTC Congress Committee chief convener Bikramsingh Brahma who stayed at the woman's house had forcefully slept with the victim to be discovered by her husband.After being thrashed by local residents, police produced him before the Chirang court on Friday where he was remanded to judicial custody. The Congress has expelled Brahma from the party.
Every year the Education Research and Development Foundation (ERDF) honors eminent personalities of the state in recognition of their contribution in different fields to mark the advent of New Year. This year ERDF selected some senior citizens of the state to wish good health and long life so that they can continue their service to the society.The 2013 edition of the felicitation programme was held at the Regional Institute of Science & Technology (RIST) for ten senior citizens. The function began with welcome address of the dignitaries to the Dais by N I Laskar, Director, Corporate Communication ERDF. Dr H K Baruah, Director (Academics), ERDF welcomed the guests. Felicitation of...
A cycle rally was set on the roll at Bokakhat this morning with an objective to generate awareness among the masses for conservation of precious wildlife in Kaziranga National Park and its fringe areas in Assam. The rally has been organised by Aaranyak, a society working for bio-diversity conservation in association with Upatyaka, a conservation organization and State Forest Department.The rally which will culminate on January 5 at Garhpal, Sootea in Sonitpur district in the North Bank of Brahmaputra, was flagged off today at Bokakhat by local MLA Arun Phukan in presence of Kaziranga NP Director N.K. Vasu, prominent citizens of Bokakhat, officer-in-charge of Bokakhat Police station,...
Assam Times "Reporter" The Assam Times is an online news portal that tells the tales of people from all walks of life. “Assam” here does not confine to today’s geographical boundary and goes beyond the barriers. We welcome news and articles on/from the entire northeastern states - Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim and Meghalaya. First time writers, please send a short note about yourself along with your Facebook/Twitter ID, contact details and a small photograph for your Reporter's ID Card. Since it functions on the concept of citizen journalism, anybody can share write ups and ideas which we will endorse according to our editorial policy. Apart from...