On Thursday (15th August), banned outfit ULFA(I) claimed to have planted bombs in 24 locations across Assam, leading security agencies to deploy teams to search for explosives. A senior police officer stated that bomb disposal squads have been dispatched to all of the locations indicated by ULFA (I).
According to an email allegedly from the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) (Independent) to the media, the bombs did not detonate owing to a “technical failure”. ULFA (I) provided a list specifying the precise location of 19 bombs and stated that the locations of five further explosives were uncertain. The letter was sent by Assistant Publicity Secretary, Second Lieutenant Ishan Asom.
The letter read, “This to inform the indigenous people of Assam that on behalf of the organization “United Liberation Front of Assam [Independent]” the military protest which was scheduled to be carried out from 6 am to 12 noon on 15th August 2024 could not be carried out due to technical glitches. Therefore the locations of the protests have been made public in view of public safety.”
It then added, “Bombs were planted at the places mentioned below, cooperation is sought from the general public to remove the bombs from the said places and make them inactive.”
🚨BREAKING: Paresh Baruah warns of planting explosives in 25 locations of Assam including in Guwahati, Sivasagar and Nagaon.
— atanu bhuyan (@atanubhuyan) August 15, 2024
So far, 'light' explosives have been recovered from a few locations across Assam.
This is a Developing Story.@thetruthin pic.twitter.com/vy26ft7GRE
The list where the bombs were planted as per ULFA(I) were:
- In an old car lying at the TDO office in Sivasagar.
- In the old ambulance lying along the road crossing BG Road ONGC Gate No. 5 in Sivasagar.
- Lakuwa Tinali, near the police station.
- Assam State Transport Corporation Dibrugarh, in an old bus.
- Assam State Transport Corporation Lakhimpur, in an old bus.
- In the old car of NHPC at The Parade Ground (A Team Field) near the Superintendent of Police, Lakhimpur.
- Laluk Daily Bazaar, near IB
- In the old car covered with trees and vines near Barghat police station.
- Buried in the ground near the brick kiln found before reaching Aditya Hospital on the way to Nagaon Medical College.
- Buried in the open ground opposite Dispur Lastgate.
- In the transformer board box on the left side of the road leading up to Gandhi Mandap.
- Buried near CDA Gate on the way to Narengi Army Camp.
- Under the Gumti (kiosk) beyond Brahmaputra industry, Panbazar, Guwahati.
- Near Jorabat Flyover.
- Bhetapara
- Maligaon
- Rajgarh
- Inside an old ambulance along the road leading to Nalbari Old Medical.
- In the empty space next to the first shop after the SBI Welcome Board on the Rangiya-Tamulpur Road, Goreshwar
The letter further adds that the exact location of the bombs at two places in Tinsukia including in Panitola, two places in Golaghata-Sarupatha, and one place in Dibrugarh could not be determined. While the letter mentioned precise locations in 16 places, no such information was provided for Bhetapara, Maligaon and Rajgarh, 3 large localities in Guwahati city.
ULFA(I) claims to have planted bombs in Kamrup Metro, Kamrup Rural, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Tinsukia, and Golaghat districts.
Police checked these places, and while they found some devices, nothing was found in the other places mentioned. After receiving the information about the planting of bombs by ULFA (I), security forces in Assam have substantially intensified surveillance Police in Guwahati have blocked many vital roadways, including several places in Guwahati like Zoo Road, the Ulubari-Rajgarh linking road, Dispur, and Narangi etc.
DGP GP Singh said that two devices were found at two places in Guwahati after an extensive search, but they were not active bombs. He said that the suspicious items had some circuits and batteries, but lack any ignition device. “The substance inside is being sent for forensic/chemical examination,” he posted on X.
Assam Police has carried out extensive searches throughout the State today for Explosive devices. At two places in Guwahati suspicious articles were found which were opened by Bomb Disposal Squad of Police. These articles do not have ignition device inside through some circuits…
— GP Singh (@gpsinghips) August 15, 2024
Police officials in Guwahati, Nagaon, Lakhimpur and Sivasagar said that they have found bomb-like material in some places including Panbazar and Gandhi Basti in Guwahati. Notably, of the 24 locations listed by ULFA (I), eight are in Guwahati including an open field at Last Gate in Dispur, which is close to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s official residence.
Another location is the Satgaon road to the Army cantonment in Narengi, Guwahati. In addition to these, Ashram Road, Panbazar, Jorabat, Bhetapara, Maligaon, and Rajgarh in the capital city have also been identified as possible bombing targets.
Meanwhile, an Assam Tribune report said that security forces found an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in a transformer on the way to Gandhi Mandap in Guwahati, exactly like mentioned in the letter.
CM urges ULFA(I) to not hamper development and investment
Reacting to the letter by ULFA(I), CM Himanta Biswa Sarma appealed to the banned outfit led by Paresh Baruah to not do anything that disrupts the environment of development that has emerged in the state after several decades. Mentioning the semiconductor plant being set up by Tata Group in Assam, he said, “I would urge ULFA Commander-in-Chief Paresh Barua not to create an environment in Assam that destroys the investment environment.”
My message to the ULFA leadership and Paresh Barua. pic.twitter.com/D0z9bSckXI
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 15, 2024
He further said, “there are around 14 lakh unemployed youths in the state, if industry come, our youths will have to go to work as security guards in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh. If the youth of Assam is not in Assam, with whom will we develop and liberate Assam? That will make no sense. Therefore, I hope that we will not do anything bad in Assam that will make investors rethink, that will malign the name of Assam outside the state”.
He reiterated his invitation for talks to the anti-talk faction of ULFA, and urged them to not do anything that would put a stop to the development of the state.
