GUWAHATI, May 14: Two persons were killed in a suspected grenade blast in the Tingrai market area under Digboi police station in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district on Friday afternoon, police sources confirmed.
Official sources said two motorcycle-borne miscreants “lobbed a grenade” in front of a hardware shop in the market area killing a 25-year-old youth, identified as Sanjit Singh (a customer at the shop), of Tingrai Hukanpukhuri on the spot.
The other deceased, identified as Surajit Talukdar, was critically injured and rushed to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh, along with two other seriously injured persons, but succumbed to his injuries.
Two other seriously injured persons, Monjit Das and Ghanashyam Agarwala, who are employees at the hardware shop owned by Puranmal Agarwal, are undergoing treatment at AMCH.
Confirming the deaths, Tinsukia superintendent of police, Vaibhav Nimbalkar said that one person was killed in the suspected grenade blast while another succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
“Two others who are seriously injured are currently under treatment. As of now, we are unable to ascertain the motive or who is behind the blast. Our investigation is at a preliminary stage,” Nimbalkar told the media on Friday evening.
According to reports, the blast took place on the verandah of the shop, leaving a crater-like formation on the ground.
Expressing concern over the incident, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is currently on a tour of Majuli to assess the COVID-19 situation in the river island district, has asked Assam director general of police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta to nab the culprits and take stern action against them.
This is the second “grenade blast” in Tinsukia district in less than four days. A minor boy died in a suspected grenade explosion at Kathakathini village in the Jagun area close to the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, militant outfit, United Liberation Front of Asom- Independent (ULFA-I) has reportedly denied any involvement in the incident.