NEW DELHI, 27 May 2007 — To beef up security in Assam, the center rushed paramilitary forces after seven persons were killed and at least 30 injured yesterday in a powerful blast near the Marwari Maternity Hospital in Athgaon, Guwahati. The bomb, hidden inside a rickshaw near the hospital, went off at around 10.45 a.m. killing five persons in the busy commercial area on the spot, police said.
With the blast being of high intensity, its effect extending to a radius of one kilometer, it broke window panes and damaged more than two-dozen parked vehicles. Though the city has witnessed many blasts, 16 in last three months alone, this was of the highest intensity in four years. The Athgaon area is largely dominated by Hindi-speaking, non-Assamese people with a large population of Marwaris residing there. Four of the five blasts that have taken place in Guwahati over the past month have targeted Marwaris. The last blast also took place in Athgaon on May 18 killing two persons.
Police suspect separatist rebels of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to be responsible for yesterday’s blast, though there was no immediate claim of responsibility. “We had intelligence inputs of ULFA targeting the city’s crowded areas, a day ahead of celebrations to mark the state government’s first year in power,” a police officer said. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s government completes a year in office of its second term today.
“It is absolutely clear the ULFA is behind this attack,” police officer, Sibabrata Kakati said.
The blast also caused a gas cylinder being transported in a cycle rickshaw to burst. “Someone was carrying a gas cylinder at the time of the explosion which caught fire and that caused maximum damage,” a senior police officer said. Fire engines were rushed to the site.
As chaos prevailed in the market, police cordoned off the area to rescue the injured who were admitted to hospital. Angered by the blast’s impact, agitated people took to streets shouting slogans against the rebels and the police for not providing adequate security. Some agitators also pelted stones at police who tried to pacify them. The agitators later dispersed, police said.
Immediately after the blast, the federal government decided to rush additional paramilitary forces to increase security in Assam. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil strongly condemned the blast and directed the state government to remain vigilant and ensure that nothing untoward happens.
Accusing India of exploiting Assam’s natural resources and ignoring the local people, ULFA is fighting for the independence of Assam.
