ULFA(I) plants bombs across Assam, none go off. Now it's asking people to find & defuse them

ULFA was reportedly behind a bomb attack on Independence Day in 2004 Assam’s Dhemaji.

Following claims by proscribed group United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) that it planted bombs across 24 locations in Assam on Independence Day, the police recovered eight “explosive-like” materials from across five districts.

According to a report by Indian Express, in an email purportedly sent to several media houses by ULFA(I), the group claimed that these “bombs” did not explode because of a “technical failure”. According to the outfit, the devices were supposed to detonate between 6 am and noon on Independence Day. However, after the bombs did not explode, the ULFA(I) said it was seeking the help of the public to find and defuse them.

The ULFA(I) reportedly sent a list of 19 locations across the state, where it said the bombs were planted, and said the locations of the remaining five could not be ascertained.

According to IE, two of these objects were recovered from Guwahati and the rest from Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Nalbari, and Nagaon.

Guwahati Commissioner of Police Diganta Barah said two of these objects were found in Guwahati city – one under a pan shop in Guwahati’s Pan Bazar locality and another inside a BSNL switchboard in the Gandhi Mandap locality.

“Through the media, the ULFA(I) said that bombs were planted in eight locations in Guwahati. Our teams conducted searches in all eight locations, but did not find anything that was suspicious or similar to IEDs and bombs in six locations. In two locations, we found objects – Pan Bazar and Gandhi Mandap,” Barah told IE.

Barah said the sniffer dog was also brought in and the objects were opened carefully. “It was seen that there were circuits in them, but the triggering mechanism was not there. Some explosive-like substance was in a container inside both the bombs, but we can ascertain if it is explosive only after chemical examination by an expert,” he told IE.

ULFA was reportedly behind a bomb attack on Independence Day in 2004 Assam’s Dhemaji. A total of 13 people, including 10 children, were killed in the attack.

The pro-talks faction of ULFA December last year signed a tripartite peace pact with the Union and state governments. However, the ULFA(I) faction, led by Paresh Baruah, still does not want a dialogue without discussing sovereignty for Assam.