Rajdhani Express Blast
ANLA graduates to bloodspill:
Guwahati, Dec. 13: A bomb in a Rajdhani Express coach, five deaths and suddenly, the minnows among rebel outfits of the region have graduated to the headline-grabbing militant face of the Adivasis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
The Adivasi National Liberation Army, which the police are almost convinced is behind the Wednesday night’s Rajdhani blast -- has just come of age. From minor extortion sprees and abductions, the outfit has learnt how to spill blood.
Officials here said they suspected the group had triggered the blast, possibly with help from another outfit, but refused to confirm its role.
“Prima facie evidence suggest the involvement of ANLA, since the area where the blast occurred has a sizeable Adivasi population and the outfit had carried out a similar blast on the railway tracks few days back just some distance away from last night’s incident,” the officer in-charge of Sarupathar police station, Rohindra Changmai, said.
Formed in 2004, along the Golaghat-Kabri Anglong border, ANLA’s activities till a few months ago had been tagged at best as “unprofessional” by the police.
A sudden spurt of militant activities began following the mob mayhem at Beltola in Guwahati on November 24, when one Adivasi was killed and more than 250 injured.
Four days ago, the police blew the lid off a plan of a retaliatory strike hatched by the outfit to avenge the Beltola attack. Six ANLA militants were apprehended from different parts of the city during the operation.
On December 4, Kamrup Express had a narrow escape when suspected ANLA militants triggered a blast on the railway tracks between Bokajan and Khatkhati station in Karbi Anglong district.
Only the headlights of the locomotive were damaged under the impact of the blast.
Senior superintendent of police (railways), Surendra Kumar, said today’s blast was probably triggered by remote control or fuse wire.
“Based on intelligence inputs about the ANLA’s plans to foment unrest in wake of the Beltola violence, we had issued an advisory to deputy commissioners, SPs and the railway officials. We have strong reasons to suspect the hand of the ANLA as it is active in the area,” an official in the CMO said.
Dispur had also advised the railways to take security precautions like carrying out a recce by pilot train 15 to 30 minutes before the movement of important long-distance trains.
Although ANLA has been the main suspect behind the blast, security forces are also considering if other militant outfits like Ulfa were in league with the outfit.
A police officer said ANLA was yet to acquire the expertise of detonating bombs on railway tracks and hitting the target successfully.
Posted On: The Telegraph
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Guwahati, Dec. 13: A bomb in a Rajdhani Express coach, five deaths and suddenly, the minnows among rebel outfits of the region have graduated to the headline-grabbing militant face of the Adivasis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
The Adivasi National Liberation Army, which the police are almost convinced is behind the Wednesday night’s Rajdhani blast -- has just come of age. From minor extortion sprees and abductions, the outfit has learnt how to spill blood.
Officials here said they suspected the group had triggered the blast, possibly with help from another outfit, but refused to confirm its role.
“Prima facie evidence suggest the involvement of ANLA, since the area where the blast occurred has a sizeable Adivasi population and the outfit had carried out a similar blast on the railway tracks few days back just some distance away from last night’s incident,” the officer in-charge of Sarupathar police station, Rohindra Changmai, said.
Formed in 2004, along the Golaghat-Kabri Anglong border, ANLA’s activities till a few months ago had been tagged at best as “unprofessional” by the police.
A sudden spurt of militant activities began following the mob mayhem at Beltola in Guwahati on November 24, when one Adivasi was killed and more than 250 injured.
Four days ago, the police blew the lid off a plan of a retaliatory strike hatched by the outfit to avenge the Beltola attack. Six ANLA militants were apprehended from different parts of the city during the operation.
On December 4, Kamrup Express had a narrow escape when suspected ANLA militants triggered a blast on the railway tracks between Bokajan and Khatkhati station in Karbi Anglong district.
Only the headlights of the locomotive were damaged under the impact of the blast.
Senior superintendent of police (railways), Surendra Kumar, said today’s blast was probably triggered by remote control or fuse wire.
“Based on intelligence inputs about the ANLA’s plans to foment unrest in wake of the Beltola violence, we had issued an advisory to deputy commissioners, SPs and the railway officials. We have strong reasons to suspect the hand of the ANLA as it is active in the area,” an official in the CMO said.
Dispur had also advised the railways to take security precautions like carrying out a recce by pilot train 15 to 30 minutes before the movement of important long-distance trains.
Although ANLA has been the main suspect behind the blast, security forces are also considering if other militant outfits like Ulfa were in league with the outfit.
A police officer said ANLA was yet to acquire the expertise of detonating bombs on railway tracks and hitting the target successfully.
Posted On: The Telegraph
Another Story:
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