Five killed, 34 injured in Assam train blast

NEW DELHI: A bomb blast on the Guwahati-Tinsukia passenger train stationed at Diphu railway station in Karbi Anglong district on Tuesday morning killed five persons including a child and injured 34 others. The blast is suspected to be the handiwork of Karbi Longri National Liberation Front (KLNLF).

The explosion occurred inside a crowded sleeper coach, number 8209, of 901 Guwahati-Tinsukia Inter-City passenger train around 8 am during its halt at Diphu railway station, some 300 km from Guwahati.

While one person died on the spot, the other four succumbed to their injuries at a local hospital. Among the injured, at least 4 persons are said to be in a critical condition.

KLNLF has been demanding an independent homeland for the majority Karbi tribe. ���We are looking into KLNLF���s role in the dastardly attack,��� a police spokesperson confirmed to news agencies.

KLNLF has called for an indefinite economic blockade in the Karbi Anglong region in Assam from Tuesday morning to press their 10-point demand.

The Diphu train explosion comes barely a month after the serial blasts across Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Barpeta road and Bongaigon in Assam. The deadly serial blasts, which rocked the state on October 30, had claimed 84 lives.

Investigations so far have pointed to the role of Bodo rebels, though links with foreign terror outfits like Huji are not yet ruled out. Tuesday���s train explosion, however, is not being seen as a terror attack.

Over the last 4-5 months, terrorists have struck with alarming frequency, each time targeting a new city. Serial blasts have rocked Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi and Assam during this period, followed by the Mumbai terror attacks last week.