GUWAHATI: Assam was rocked by a series of bomb explosions and grenade attacks yesterday killing eight people and wounding 60, a day ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the state.
A police spokesman said there were three explosions and two grenade attacks in different parts of the state, including one at a police station. A powerful explosion rocked Guwahati’s busy Maligaon area, while another explosion shook Dhekiajuli town in northern Sonitpur district, about 150 km from here. The third explosion took place in eastern Karbi Anglong district injuring two people.
“Seven people have died and 50 injured in the blast in Guwahati. Some of the injured are serious,” Assam Inspector General of Police G.P. Singh said. Police blamed the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) for the two blasts in Guwahati and Dhekiajuli.
In the evening, militants threw a grenade at a police station in Mancachar in western Dhubri district. Another grenade attack took place in a marketplace in Udalguri district of northern Assam, but there were no casualties. Less than two hours after the Guwahati blast, another explosion rocked Dhekiajuli town in northern Sonitpur district.
