Jan. 21: Cocking a snook at Dispur’s claims of having beefed up security, Ulfa militants today triggered two explosions in Barpeta and Bongaigaon.

One person died and two were wounded in the explosion in Barpeta. Earlier in the day, five persons were wounded in a blast just outside New Bongaigaon railway station.

An improvised explosive device planted in the crowded Bohori weekly market, 20 km from Barpeta town, went off around 7 pm.

The bomb planted near New Bongaigaon railway station went off at 11.30 am, just seven minutes before the arrival of the North East Express from New Delhi.

Witnesses said the casualties would have been higher had the bomb exploded after the train arrived.

The bomb was planted in a motorcycle in the parking zone of the railway station.

A contractor, Rabindra Deb, was injured along with two of his workers, Maijuddin Ali and Abdul Ali. Two rickshaw-pullers, Khogen Barman and Lachu Lohar, were also wounded. All of them were admitted to Lower Assam Nursing Home.

In Tinsukia district, the duration of night curfew was extended by four hours. Additional superintendent of police (headquarters) Bijoy Kuligam said curfew hours had been extended from 7 pm to 5 am instead of 11 pm to 5 am.

The police arrested two persons for conspiring to plant bombs at various places in Jorhat town. While Gopal Dutta is an activist of the Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti, Roopak Dutta is an Ulfa member arrested in Bhutan in 2003.