Insurgency remains alive in Assam

As India’s Independence Day is approaching, the militant outfits have as usual geared up their disruptive activities to make their presence felt in Assam. For decades it has been normal news of blasts ahead of I-Day (August 15) and Republic Day (January 26) in northeastern part of India those are carried by various banned armed outfits.

The recent explosion on the railway track in Rongia-Ghograpar locality only shows the desperation of the militants. The IED blast on the railway track at Bhatkuchi, 75 km away from Assam’s capital city of Guwahati on Sunday evening derailed six coaches of the Puri Express. The accident has reported no casualty but injured nearly hundred passengers, most of them were tourists and pilgrims onway to Jagannath temple at Puri beach of the Bay of Bengal. The train departed Guwahati Railway station at 6.45 pm on June 10 and faced the accident after two hours of journey. The injured passengers of were shifted to nearby government hospitals at Rongia & Nalbari and some of the seriously injured passengers were taken to Guwahati Medical College Hospital.

The police suspect it as a handiwork of Bodo or Adivasi militants, who are fighting with the Indian Union Government at New Delhi for various demands for their respective communities. The blast has been condemned by various organizations including National Democratic Front of Bodoland (pro-talk faction), which is engaged in preliminary talks with the government.

Indian Premier Dr Manmohan Singh has expressed his concern at the accident and asked junior Railway minister Mukul Roy to take stock of the situation. Dr Singh, who represents Assam in the upper house of Indian Parliament, is presently looking after the Railway Ministry following after Mamata Banerjee’s resignation few months back to take the charge as the chief minister of West Bengal.

Meanwhile the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom has denied its involvement in the blast. The Paresh Barua faction of ULFA, in a press statement issued to local media has condemned the incident.

Leaving aside ULFA, Assam in northeastern part of India is home to nearly 20 armed outfits which are waging war against the central government for various demands ranging from self rule to sovereignty. Thousands of common people lost their lives due to armed conflict in the region.

ENDS

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