India’s Northeastern region celebrated the 68th Republic Day amid eight blasts at least in two States—Assam and Manipur—even as people from different walks of life defied a boycott call and general strike called by anti-talk faction of militant outfits in the region and participated in huge numbers in the celebrations.
Eight blasts have been triggered—six in four districts of Assam and two in Manipur capital Imphal—and five Improvised Explosive Device (IEDs) have been recovered from different places in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday morning.
There is, however, no report of any causality or major damage reported from anywhere in Assam, Manipur and in Arunachal Pradesh.
Assam Director General of Police, Mukesh Sahay termed the blasts in the state as desperate attempts of the Ulfa and other militant outfits in the region to make their presence felt. “The militants had called for boycott of the celebrations and the blasts are an attempt to scare the people. However, people of the state have defied the militants’ diktat and came out in large numbers to participate in the celebrations,” said Sahay.
“low intensity blasts have occurred in some places in Charaideu, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts today morning. The militants have planted the bombs in abandoned places and there is no causality or damage,” he said.
While the blasts in Dibrugarh town occurred in a drain at a tea garden, low intensity IEDs were exploded near a petrol pump at Dholbagan and at Bihubor area in Charaideu district. Similarly, two blasts were triggered in two locations in Sivsagar district. In eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district, the militants had triggered another IED near the new Dhola-Sadiya bridge. The security forces had also recovered three IEDs from different locations of Tinsukia district.
Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit unfurled the tricolor at the official function organised by Assam Government at the Veterinary College ground in Khanapara area in Guwahati. The function registered large number of participation from local people, defying the boycott call by the militants.
Purohit while delivering his Republic Day speech, focused on Swachh Bharat Mission and said that all the 97 urban local bodies of Assam will be declared open defecation free during 2017-18 to improve the urban sanitation scenario.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal while talking to media later said that the peoples’ participation has proved that there is no place for terrorism in Assam and that the people of the state have united against militancy. The Chief Minister reiterated the government’s stand that the government will not tolerate any act of violence.
like Assam, suspected militants also triggered two blasts in Manipur capital Imphal on Thursday morning. There is, however, no report of any injury or any damage during both the blasts.
Police said that while the first blast took place at Mantripukhri in Imphal , located only 5 km away from Kangla Fort, the official venue of Republic Day celebrations of Manipur government, the second blasts took place near the Nambul river in Imphal West district.
On the other hand the security forces deployed in Arunachal Pradesh have recovered five IEDs from Chowkham located close to Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
“Army jawans carrying out search operations have recovered five IEDs from Chowkham area on Thursday morning. They were defused later,” said Arunachal Pradesh Director general of Police Sandip Goyal.
It may be mentioned here that the militant outfits of the northeastern states have called for boycott of the Republic Day and called for a general shutdown on Thursday. The police and security agencies had already intensified operations against the militants along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border and Assam-Nagaland border, particularly after the Sunday when a group of militants ambushed an Assam Rifles convoy in Assam’s Tinsukia district and killed two jawans and injured two others.