Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia announced for Assam blast victims' kin

Assam government on Friday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the two persons killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in upper Assam's Sibsagar district on Thursday night, officials said.

Besides the two deaths, several others were injured in the explosion that took place in front of a hardware shop by suspected ULFA(I) militants at Demow.

Two persons were detained for questioning in connection of the incident, police said.

Minister of State for Power Topon Kumar Gogoi on Friday met the family members of the two deceased and informed them that the state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to each of the two families.

The money would be handed over to them by Friday itself, Gogoi said.

The minister also inspected the explosion spot.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the blast was triggered by an improvised explosive devise (IED) and not a grenade as initially reported, District Deputy Commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha told reporters.

Security measures in the district have been intensified, Jha C said.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the incident and directed Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia to take immediate measures to nab the culprits involved in the incident.

The two persons killed in the explosion were identified as Kamal Agarwal, brother of the owner of the hardware shop, and Arup Gupta, a customer