Four grenade blasts shake Assam on Republic Day

Suspected Ulfa (Independent) militants carried out four bomb blasts in eastern Assam's Dibrugarh and Charaideo districts on Sunday morning, allmost at a time when the national flag was unfurled across the country to celebrate the Republic Day.

Out of the three blasts that took place in Dibrugarh district, one of them was close to a private hospital. The second blast took place near a market and the third near Duliajan police station.

The fourth blast took place at Teokghat in neighbouring Charaideo district, which is believed to have strong presence of Ulfa militants. No one was injured in the four blasts.

Ulfa (Independent), a banned outfit which seeks sovereignty for Assam, had announced a 12-hour "general strike" to register its protest against celebration of the Republic Day. The oufit had also asked all residents to boycott the celebrations and stay indoors. The outfit issues similar diktat before every Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations.

The boycott call, however, did not affect celebrations of the Republic Day across Assam, unlike in the past when people remained indoors out of fear of militant attack.

Calling the attacks as cowardice, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked police to take stringent action against those involved in the blasts.

Police officials said the outfit carried out the attack out of fraustration emanating from the pressure building on them due to Myanmar's crackdown on their hideouts in the neighbouring country and the continous counter-insurgency operations in Assam.