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Eleven injured in grenade attack outside Guwahati mall

Eleven people including two security personnel were injured in a grenade attack at a security picket outside a busy shopping mall in Guwahati on Wednesday evening, police said.

According to the police the blast took place around 7:52 pm when a grenade lobbed by rebels of the suspected United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) burst outside the mall located on Zoo Road area of the city.

“The number of injured in Guwahati blast risen to 11,” said Guwahati police commissioner Deepak Kumar

Earlier, a senior police officer said that the grenade was thrown at a Police and SSB picket from a moving motorcycle injuring seven people including two SSB jawans. They were taken to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital . One civilian was in critical condition.

Reports in local news channels say that the banned ULFA-I has claimed responsibility for the blast though Hindustan Times couldn’t verify it.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the incident and directed police personnel to take action to nab the culprits behind the blast.

The blast took place on a day when Sonowal reviewed Guwahati’s security following intelligence reports of possible terror attacks in the city.

Several ULFA-I cadres have been arrested or surrendered in recent weeks following operations against them in Myanmar where their camps are located as well as on the Indian side.

On Wednesday, three ULFA-I cadres, including one who is said to have taken part in the murder of an Assam police officer in May last year, had surrendered to the army.

“Due to sustained joint operations many ULFA-I cadres have either surrendered or been nabbed. Whether there is any connection between that and the grenade blast, only investigation would reveal,” Assam Police Director General Kuladhar Saikia said.

First Published:
May 15, 2019 21:38 IST

Source: HindustanTimes