2009 Guwahati bombings
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Guwahati bombings occurred on 1 January 2009 in Guwahati
, Assam
, India
. They occurred a few hours before Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram
was due to travel to the city.
The bombing was carried put by the United Liberation Front of Asom
(ULFA), and left 6 people dead and a further 67 injured.
, killed two people instaneously and injured at least 25 others. Police said that a bomb was placed on a bicycle. Incidentally, P Chidambaram was to pass Bhootnath on his way from the airport.
The third blast occurred outside a Big Bazaar
retail outlet at Bhangagarh, a commercial area near Guwahati Medical College (GMCH), at 5.45 pm. Bhangagarh is one of the poshest areas in Guwahati and is home to many shopping malls. Three of the 34 people injured in the blast succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Police suspected that the bomb was kept inside a pan shop in the area. Another person died in the hospital hospital making the death toll 6.
All three blasts were low intensity, carried using Improvised explosive device
s (IED). Police say that the a biker placed the first bomb in a dustbin, the second one was placed on a cycle and third on the roadside. The second blast was the most powerful one. The third blast ignited a fire due to its proximity to a kerosene
source.
The injured were admitted to the GMCH and Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) and are reported to be in critical condition.
(ULFA) is suspected of having carried out the bombings. Some army officials suspected the hand of Bangladesh-based Islamic Fundamentalist groups, who could have slipped in Assam and other northeastern states fearing action by the newly-elected government of Sheikh Hasina
Wajed.
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They occurred a few hours before Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...
was due to travel to the city.
The bombing was carried put by the United Liberation Front of Asom
United Liberation Front of Asom
The United Liberation Front of Asom is a separatist group from Assam, among many other such groups in North-East India. It seeks to establish a sovereign Assam via an armed struggle in the Assam Conflict...
(ULFA), and left 6 people dead and a further 67 injured.
Details
Police confirmed that first blast took place near Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi TB Hospital at Birubari at 2.35pm, injuring five people, including a 10-year-old child. Another blast at the busy Bhootnath market near the famous Kamakhya TempleKamakhya Temple
The Kamakhya Temple is a Shakti Peeth temple situated on the Nilachal Hill in western part of Guwahati city in Assam, India. It is the main temple in a complex of individual temples dedicated to different forms of the mother goddess as the Dasa Mahavidya, including Bhuvaneshvari, Bagalamukhi,...
, killed two people instaneously and injured at least 25 others. Police said that a bomb was placed on a bicycle. Incidentally, P Chidambaram was to pass Bhootnath on his way from the airport.
The third blast occurred outside a Big Bazaar
Big Bazaar
Big Bazaar is a chain of hypermarket in India. Currently, there are 210 stores across 80 cities and towns in India. Big Bazaar is designed as an agglomeration of bazaars or Indian markets with clusters offering a wide range of merchandise including fashion and apparels, food products, general...
retail outlet at Bhangagarh, a commercial area near Guwahati Medical College (GMCH), at 5.45 pm. Bhangagarh is one of the poshest areas in Guwahati and is home to many shopping malls. Three of the 34 people injured in the blast succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Police suspected that the bomb was kept inside a pan shop in the area. Another person died in the hospital hospital making the death toll 6.
All three blasts were low intensity, carried using Improvised explosive device
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
s (IED). Police say that the a biker placed the first bomb in a dustbin, the second one was placed on a cycle and third on the roadside. The second blast was the most powerful one. The third blast ignited a fire due to its proximity to a kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
source.
The injured were admitted to the GMCH and Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) and are reported to be in critical condition.
Investigation
The United Liberation Front of AsomUnited Liberation Front of Asom
The United Liberation Front of Asom is a separatist group from Assam, among many other such groups in North-East India. It seeks to establish a sovereign Assam via an armed struggle in the Assam Conflict...
(ULFA) is suspected of having carried out the bombings. Some army officials suspected the hand of Bangladesh-based Islamic Fundamentalist groups, who could have slipped in Assam and other northeastern states fearing action by the newly-elected government of Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh and widow of a reputed nuclear...
Wajed.