GUWAHATI, Jan 27 – Two policemen, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Kamrup District, Sri Devajit Pathak, and the driver of his vehicle Sri Digbijoy Dutta, were killed, while 21 others were injured, six of them seriously, in three separate incidents of extremist bomb blasts in the State today. According to police sources, suspected ULFA militants activated an improvised explosive device on the Boko-Nalapara Road around 1.30 pm today blowing off the vehicle in which Sri Devajit Pathak, along with his four personal security officers (PSOs) was travelling. The police party was returning after conducting a raid near Nalapara. Sri Pathak and Sri Dutta died on the spot.
In the second incident, militants activated an improvised explosive device blowing off a part of a wooden bridge and a vehicle of a CRPF convoy at Ghiladhari, 10 km short of Merapani in Golaghat district. The convoy of the security personnel was proceeding to Merapani from Khatkhati. Seven CRPF personnel were injured in the incident, three of them seriously. All of them have been shifted to Jorhat Civil Hospital. A report from Diphu said at least 10 people were injured, two of htem seriously when United Peoples Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) militants hurled Chinese-made hand grenades on a crowded bazaar in Diphu in the hill district of Karbi Anglong today. The injured were admitted to the Diphu civil hospital.
CM cuts short visit : Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who arrived at New Delhi this afternoon for a meeting with Sri KC Pant, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission tomorrow, has decided to cut short his visit and come back to the State tomorrow morning in view of the incident and is expected to attend the funeral ceremony of the deceased, informed Sri Bichitra Choudhury, press adviser to the Chief Minister. Sri Gogoi has also strongly condemned the killing.