Nagaon, Aug. 28: Suspected militants triggered an explosion at the home of an Assam minister early today, hours before he was to visit the central Dolamara village where Hindi-speaking people were massacred earlier this month.

Hills area development minister Khorsingh Engti, who was sleeping inside, has postponed the trip. “It is the police who can explain the matter as they are investigating it,” he said, refusing to comment further.

The police said the bomb was planted at one end of the perimeter wall of the house — the lone sentry post is at the other end.

The wall was partially damaged in the 2am blast that the police said was triggered by a remote-controlled device from a distance of about 100 metres inside a forest. Flexible wires measuring 100 metres were found at the spot.

“We rushed to the spot on hearing the sound of the blast, but nobody was there,” one of the minister’s four personal security officers on duty said. Six securitymen were on duty, including the four PSOs.

Glass panes of two doors and three windows were shattered.

Engti had come home to Hauraghat, which like Dolamara is located in the hilly Karbi Anglong district, on August 23. He was to return to Guwahati this evening after visiting the site where Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front militants had gunned down 18 Hindi-speaking people on August 10 and 12.

Hauraghat is 50km from the district headquarters Diphu, which is 271 km from Guwahati.

Sources said the blast was aimed at scuttling the Dolamara trip.