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Journalism of Courage
AUGUST 2: There seems to be a sinister pattern to it. Two powerful explosions rocked Assam on two successive days, Sunday and Monday, almost a year from the date when Bodo militants rocked the state with a series of bomb explosions and disruptions.
Monday’s explosion on the metre-gauge railway track between Rangiya and Goreswar in Northern Assam left nine security personnel dead, and a dozen others seriously injured. Intelligence sources here said August happens to be the favourite month for militants here to strike — especially for those belonging to the two Bodo factions — to strike, and this time the motive was doubly enforced with the Centre rejecting a plea for the creation of Bodoland .
For several years now, violence in the state has been ritually on the rise during the middle of the year, beginning early in August and culminating on Independence Day. And the railways have been a favourite target.
Intelligence agencies had warned authorities last week that rebels would strike, and even as security measures were being spruced up, the militants succeeded in striking twice.
On Sunday morning, 12 bogies of a goods train were damaged and the main broad-gauge link between Guwahati and rest of the country was snapped when a powerful bomb exploded between Rangiya and Ghograpar. This was followed by a blast on Monday evening on the Rangiya-Rangapara metre-gauge section.
However, authorities had lifted the ban on night trains a few months ago in the wake of a cease-fire declared by the Bodoland Liberation Tigers, one of the two rebel groups active in disrupting railway services.
But this time, police are blaming the National Democratic Front of Bodoland for the two incidents, though the group is yet to claim responsibility for it.
The North-East Frontier Railway has, in the past one year, suffered as many as eight incidents of bomb explosions and sabotage each.
Meanwhile, the disruption caused to the main broad gauge link between Guwahati and rest of the country has been restored with trains beginning to run from Guwahati to different destinations with effect from yesterday afternoon.
But authorities are once again contemplating restriction on night trains, especially on the Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri section, at least till Independence Day.
