GUWAHATI, Dec 18: At least eight persons were killed and more than 50 injured as suspected Bodo militants triggered off a car bomb explosion at Dispur, the state capital complex here today morning. The Ambassador car, which carried the bomb, was less than 100 metres away from Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta's office and the state civil secretariat when the blast took place.Assam Police Director-General P V Sumant, who took over only yesterday, later told a press conference that it could be the handiwork of one of the two Bodo insurgent groups, going by information available through the licence of the driver of the car, who was also killed in the blast.Chief Minister Mahanta was supposed to pass through the place between 11 am and 11.30 am, on his way to Delhi to attend a meeting of the Inter-State Council, but his journey was delayed due to late arrival of flight.Sumant said the Ambassador car was moving from Dispur towards Ganeshguri Chariali junction, when the blast occurred in it as ithad just crossed the point leading to the Janata Bhavan, the Chief Minister's office.Most of those killed are suspected to be labourers who were working at a construction site by the side of the road in a petrol pump. Sumant said the Ambassador car, which was reduced to pieces beyond recognition, might have had another occupant too, who might also have been killed. The body of the driver was torn apart, and one of his arms was found clinging to the steering wheel.He did not rule out the possibility of the militants using RDX in the explosion, while it was yet to be ascertained what kind of device was actually put to use. ``The blast could also be accidental, assuming that the rebels were carrying the bomb to some other place,'' he added.He however dismissed queries as to whether the militants were planning to ram into the Chief Minister's convoy, saying there was little chance for doing so, as movement of all other vehicles are stopped when the convoy passes through.
