Militants' plan to blow up Assam bridge busted

A plan by insurgent outfit NSCN-K to blow up a major bridge in Assam's Silchar town connecting the Barak Valley to the state's neighbouring Dima Hasao district and Manipur was busted on Tuesday, police said. Four people have been arrested in this connection.

Two militants of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K), involved in the plot, managed to escape. The security forces -- comprising police and Assam Rifles -- recovered the explosives meant to be used in blowing up the Sadarghat bridge, Cachar Superintendent of Police Rajveer said.

Four "local accomplices" were arrested during the operation, the police official said.

An improvised explosive device, detonator and about 60 gelatin sticks were recovered.

"Based on information, security forces cordoned off Sonai area in Silchar in the early hours of Tuesday. We arrested four people from the place and seized some explosives.

"During interrogation, those arrested revealed that they were harbouring the NSCN-K militants who planned to blow up the Sadarghat bridge," the police official said.

The two NSCN-K militants, however, escaped under the cover of darkness, he said.

The four arrested persons were identified as Ataur Rahman Laskar, Afzal Hussain Laskar, Azmal Hussain Laskar and Maskar Ali Laskar.

Police said those arrested were to help the militants in planting the explosives.

The Sadarghat bridge is a major bridge in Assam's Barak Valley that connects Silchar with Imphal in Manipur through National Highway 53, Haflong in Dima Hasao, Silchar airport at Kumbhirgram and the entire Lakhipur sub-division of Cachar district.