TURA: Unidentified militants detonated a crude bomb at a petrol pump in Williamnagar after closing hours on Tuesday night damaging the pump’s meter machine. There were no casualties.
The incident took place at approximately 9 pm after the petrol pump located next to Williamnagar super market had closed for the day.
The militants entered the pump premises carrying the improvised explosive device (IED) in a jute bag and placed it next to the pump meter engine. They connected the bomb with the detonator through a long flexible fuse wire stretching 40 metres long.
“The blast was triggered from behind the wall of the station and splinters caused some damage to the pump,” informed district police chief J F K Marak who rushed to the scene of the crime shortly after the explosion which let out a deafening sound across the town.
The militants used a battery operated detonator to ignite the explosion, it was found.
The NRL petrol pump owned by Altison N Sangma is run by one Sirpal Jain of Guwahati.
Those manning the pump deny having received any demand note from militant groups.
However, police sources indicate that the militants may have been trying to send a message to the pump operators to pay ‘tax’ by deliberately exploding a device after the pump had been shut down thereby reducing human casualties to the minimum.
This is the third attack on a petrol station by Garo militants in less than two months time.
On December 11th, GNLA militants attacked the Chasingre petrol pump on the outskirts of Tura opening indiscriminate fire resulting in bullet injury to three employees.
A month later, another group of militants suspected to be from the ANVC-Breakaway faction lobbed a crude bomb outside the AOC petrol pump in Hawakhana, Tura, on January 11th causing damage to two vehicles. Four militants from the group were shot dead the same night at Daren Agal village near Tura.
A day later the A’chik Tiger Force claimed responsibility for the Tura AOC bomb attack.
Suspected UALA hideout busted
Meanwhile, police from Mendipathar in North Garo Hills District raided a jungle hideout of militants near Damas and confiscated some crude bombs and detonators on Tuesday. Police teams raided a small camp of the militants located atop a small hill, 2 kms from Damas, following reports of militants’ movement in the area.
The inmates of the camp fled on seeing the approaching force without firing a shot. Police strongly believe the hideout belonged to the United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) headed by Norrok X Momin.
From the camp they recovered four crude bombs and two factory made detonators. Some incriminating documents were also retrieved from the camp site. Of late, there had been reports of movement from UALA militants in the area.