Indefinite curfew on in Chirang, 2 held in Baksa

According to police, two hardcore ULFA rebels Sanjay Thakuria and Arup Deka, who were planning to move to Guwahati with explosives were nabbed in a joint operation by the army and the police at Belgurichowk in the Mushulpur police station area in Baksa district.

Interrogation of the arrested ULFA cadres revealed that they were carrying explosives apart from two nine mm pistols, two magazines and one round of live cartridge, they said.

Police did not rule out the involvement of the duo in yesterday's bomb blast at Goreswar in the same district which injured three persons.

A red alert has been sounded throughout the state even though various rebel groups of the northeast have not yet declared opposing the I-day celebrations as is the practice with them every year.

The situation in strife-torn Kokrajhar and Chirang districts remained tense with security forces on alert and indefinite curfew in Chirang on, but no fresh incidents were reported.

The army was continuing flag marches, while the police and paramilitary forces were on patrol, sources said.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has, meanwhile, constituted a group of ministers, headed by Revenue Minister Prithibi Majhi, to oversee and coordinate relief and rehabilitation in the violence-affected areas.

The Assam government has set up 104 permanent police pickets in Dhubri and trouble-torn BTAD districts where 61 people died in recent clashes between Bodos and immigrant settlers, and security personnel would start manning these from today.