From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Fourteen persons including three players from a West Bengal State Girls’ Basket Ball team and several cops were injured when suspected militants belonging to the anti-talks faction of the ULFA detonated a grenade blast near a police check-point in busy Paltan Bazar area in the heart of Guwahati at around 8 pm on Sunday.
The blast made a mockery of the high-alert sounded by the State government after the suspected ultras had triggered a series of grenade explosions in other parts of the State on July 23 and 24 last.
Police suspected hands of the anti-talks faction of the ULFA, or the ULFA (Independent) led by its fugitive commander Paresh Barua in the blast that was triggered in the busiest part of the city.
The injured included a few policemen, three players from a West Bengal State Girls’ Basket Ball team identified as Salma Banu, Jwala Jha and Priya Rai, according to initial reports. Condition of two of the injured cops was stated to be serious.
Police suspected that two motor-cycle borne militants hurled the grenade at a team of police-CRPF personnel on duty at the check point. All the injured were rushed to Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH).
Senior police officials rushed to the spot after the blast in the busy area close to high-security Guwahati Railway Station as well as Paltan Bazar police station.
Ruling Congress’ senior sitting legislator Robin Bardoloi, who rushed to the incident site, stated that the area was not adequately lit though it was located in the busiest part of the city, he also rued absence of CCTV camera in the area.
The blast occurred just a day after Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi stated that the anti-talks faction of the ULFA or the ULFA (Independent) was out to create disturbance in the State with the backing of some foreign countries inimical to the country.