ULFA-I claims planting explosives in 24 locations across Assam

Guwahati, August 15 (IANS) Banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) claimed on Thursday that its has planted bombs in 24 locations across Assam.The places include Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Nagaon, and at least eight spots in Guwahati.The outlawed group said in a statement that they wanted to demonstrate their strength by carrying out bomb blasts across the state from 6 a.m. to 12 noon on Independence Day, but due to ‘technical reasons’ they have called off the operation.A list of the ‘targeted’ areas along with pictures, including one close to the Secretariat in state capital Dispur, were also released by ULFA-I.The group, which calls for a ‘sovereign Assam’, said in the statement: “This to inform the indigenous people of Assam that on behalf of the United Liberation Front of Assam [Independent], the military protest which was scheduled to be carried out from 6 a.m. to 12 noon on August 15 could not be carried out due to technical glitches. Therefore, the locations of the protests have been made public in view of public safety.”Meanwhile, the police have jumped into action after learning about ULFA-I’s bomb threat, launching a thorough investigation into the matter. A senior officer said that police teams have been dispatched to look for the bombs using the list that the outlawed militant group released. The police have found some suspicious devices in some locations and further investigation is underway, sources said.Earlier, separatist groups NSCN (Yung Aung) and ULFA-I jointly called for boycotting all Independence Day celebrations besides giving a shutdown call on August 15 in Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.To recall, a bomb blast during an Independence Day parade at the Dhemaji College ground in Assam in 2004 had left at least 18 people dead and numerous others injured. The police claimed that the explosive placed close to the college gate was set off by a remote-controlled device. The blast occurred when teachers and children from different schools were passing through the gate.After the blast, the locals attacked police vehicles near the college, forcing the cops to resort to lathi charge and firing of tear gas shells.–IANStdr/arm