Guwahati: At least two persons were killed and eight other injured when suspected United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) rebels triggered a series of blasts across the north-eastern state of Assam ahead of this week's Republic Day celebrations.
While three explosions rocked state capital Guwahati, at least nine other similar blasts were reported from various other parts of the state across the state.
Police said the militants exploded a grenade near a police post in Paltan Bazar area in the heart of the city. The injured included the officer in-charge of city's Panbazar police station and his PSO. The policemen were on duty in Guwahati when the blast occured.
Two other grenades exploded in the busy Paltan Bazar and near a commerce collage on the RG Baruah Road in the city.
"One civilian was killed and five policemen and three civilians were wounded in three explosions that rocked Guwahati," Assam state police chief Dilip Bora said.
Bora also said overnight blasts at two gas pipelines and two power plants in the eastern North Lakhimpur district left another five policemen wounded.
The militants also exploded a bomb inside an Assam State Transport Corporation bus station in Jorhat town and blew up a PowerGrid transmission tower in Sonari township in Upper Assam disrupting power supply in the nearby areas.
The sudden spurt in violence came after a lull of about three months.
Senior police officials said ULFA tops the list of suspects. The officials also pointed out that just three days the ULFA had threatened to strike at vital state installations in the runup to the Republic Day celebrations.
The ULFA and five other insurgent groups have called a 17-hour general strike from Thursday to protest at the celebrations of Republic Day.
Police and the security forces have cordoned off the entire capital city after the explosions and maintained a strict vigil on all the entry and exit points.
(With PTI inputs)
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