Panic prevails in Assam after Ulfa-I claims to have planted bombs in 24 locations across the state
Guwahati: Tension prevailed in Assam when the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (Ulfa-I) on Thursday claimed that they have strategically planted bombs in 24 different locations including eight in the capital city of Guwahati in Assam.
Despite their intentions, the outfit in an email to local newspapers revealed that the bombs failed to detonate due to technical malfunctions.
The Ulfa-I disclosed that their primary objective was to disrupt the Independence Day celebrations through violent means. However, their plans were thwarted by what they referred to as ‘technical errors,’ preventing it from exploding as scheduled between 6 am and 12 noon.
The Ulfa-I also shared a detailed list of 19 locations under threat, alongside images of some bomb sites, including one near the state secretariat in Dispur, Guwahati. Asking people to defuse the bombs on those locations, the outfit said that the locations of five additional bombs could not be identified.
The militant outfit, advocating for a ‘sovereign Assam,’ has been boycotting Independence Day festivities.
A senior officer at Assam Police headquarters said that district SPs, particularly those in the areas listed by Ulfa-I have been alerted and instructed to conduct thorough searches. “Bomb disposal squads, metal detectors, and sniffer dogs have been dispatched to every location. So far we have not got any information on recovery of bombs,” he said.
While no bombs have been confirmed yet, local police officials in Nagaon, Lakhimpur and Sivasagar reported finding "bomb-like materials" at some locations.
Out of the 24 locations, eight are in Guwahati. These include an open field at Last Gate in Dispur, near Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other ministers' official residences.
Other sites in Guwahati mentioned are Satgaon road towards the Army cantonment in Narengi, Ashram Road, Panbazar, Jorabat, Bhetapara, Maligaon, and Rajgarh.
In addition to Guwahati, places in Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Tinsukia, and Golaghat districts are also listed as bomb locations by Ulfa-I.
Police have shut down all roads in the mentioned areas and senior police officials are on-site, supervising the search operations.
The security forces continue their efforts to search the mentioned locations and ensure public safety amidst the claims made by Ulfa-I.
Security sources said that Ulfa-I had resorted to similar modus-operandi a day before the 33rd National Games of India which was held in Assam in 2007. Police acting on specific tip off of Ulfa-I rebels had defused dozens of Improvised Explosive Devices planted at various places across the state.
