Train Services Suspended During Night in Assam

By Jayanta Gupta

Kolkata, Aug 13 : Barely hours after the recovery of a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) from a coach of the Kamakhya-Puri Express on Friday morning, eastern railway announced the suspension of night running of passenger-carrying trains through Assam between August 13 and 17. Around 5.30 am on Friday. The 5 kg IED was found in a sleeper class coach of the train at Pancharatna station in lower Assam's Goalpara district.

An electronic detonator, batteries and wire were also recovered along with the IED that was considered to be powerful enough to cause considerable damage. Though the militant outfit responsible for this was not immediately known, a person was arrested in this connection, the police confirmed.

The United Liberation Front of Assom and 11 other insurgent outfits from the North East have called for a boycott of the Independence Day celebrations in that part of the country and a general strike on August 15. The statement was made by the anti-talks faction of the Ulfa.

"Due to unavoidable circumstances, we are forced to suspend the running of passenger trains through Assam from 6 pm on August 13 to 5 am on August 17. The Howrah-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express will remain cancelled between Guwahati and Dibrugarh during this time.

The Sealdah-Guwahati Kanchenjungha Express will be short-terminated at New Alipurduar. The Delhi-Dibrugarh Brahmaputra Mail will run only upto Guwahati. The timings of several other trains including the Jhajha-Dibrugarh Express, Guwahati-Kolkata Garib Rath Express, Guwahati-Howrah Saraighat Express and Chennai Egmore-Dibrugarh Express have been changed to ensure that they don't run during the night," a Eastern Railway official said.
Barely a couple of weeks ago, ultras sabotaged railway tracks in Assam, causing an Express train to derail. This led to injuries to several passengers.