Low-intensity blast hits Guwahati, four injured

Guwahati: Four people including a woman were injured in an explosion that rocked Guwahati on Saturday. The explosion took place at about 11.45 am near Sukreshwar Ghat.

Meanwhile Assam police on Saturday requisitioned the experts from National Security Guard (NSG) to find out the exact explosive material, which was used to trigger the blast.

Informing that police have traced some kind of explosive used to detonate the blast, security sources said that NSG team was expected to arrive there on Sunday morning to find out the explosive used to trigger the blast. “We are not sure about the explosive material used in the blast. We are sure that it is not Improvised Explosive Device,” said a member of a forensic team of the Assam police.

Earlier however police, which has started an investigation ruled out the possibility of any sabotage activity, the Ulfa (I) chief Paresh Baruah who called up local television channel, claimed the responsibility of the blast. He said that bomb blast was not to cause any damage but to warn the people supporting Citizenship Amendment bill.

The joint commissioner of police Diganata Borah told reporters that explosion took place at about 11.45 am at the riverfront. “Forensic and bomb disposal squad has reached to the spot and carrying out investigation.

Preliminary investigation rules out any sabotage activity.”

The blast happened in the vicinity of Panbazar police station behind the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMC).

Claiming that police have not found any splinter from the blast site, the DCP Ranjan Bhuyan told reporters, “We don’t suspect it to be a sabotage or terrorist activity from the nature of the blast. It happened in a dump of sand kept for roadside drain construction. It may have had an unexploded shell which went off today.”

The intensity of the blast was such that the glass of a passenger bus, crossing from the area was shattered and passenger and driver of the bus sustained injury.

Assam DGP Kula Saikia who also visited the blast site announced that police have intensified security measures in the wake of upcoming Durga Puja.

It is significant that bomb blast took place a day after Assam police issued an alert indicating that some terrorist may strike during the Durga Puja festival.