80 kg RDX used in Guwahati blasts

Guwahati, November 3
Nearly 80 kg of deadly research development explosive (RDX) was used in the October 30 serial blasts in Guwahati alone, officials said today as investigators worked on sketches of the suspects.

Forensic officials claimed that nearly 80 kg of RDX was put in the three Maruti cars planted at the three blast sites in Guwahati. The blasts that took place in several parts of the state claimed over 80 lives.

“Such a large quantity of RDX was never used to carry out explosions in Assam before as ammonium nitrate, with plasticers as propellants and programmable time devices (PTD) were usually used to carry out a blast,” said Padmapani, joint director in the Forensic Science Laboratory, here.

Each of the cars were laden with 25 to 30 kg of RDX to carry out the blasts and a total of 75 to 80 kg was used to cause the maximum damage, he said.

The officials said a maximum amount of explosives used for a single blast in the state was 10 kg at Dhemaji during the 2004 Independence Day that killed 13 persons, including 10 schoolchildren. The police has asked a Kolkata-based artist to prepare sketches of suspects involved in the blasts based on the eyewitness account.

The sketches were being prepared “in an organised manner under police supervision” and it would take some time to complete them, it said.

The police said none of the earlier explosions were so well coordinated and intricately planned as none of the militant groups active in the state, including the ULFA, had the expertise to make bombs of such high intensity.

They said the perpetrators must have engaged local people to carry out the blasts, as it would be difficult for outsiders to procure vehicles and plant the bombs at selected places.

Meanwhile, the special investigating team (SIT) under IGP (Special Task Force) R. Chandranathan has started investigations to ascertain the identity of the culprits and claimed to have received some vital leads in the case.

The team, however, declined to disclose them at this stage as it could hamper further investigations. Five persons have been arrested so far in connection with the blasts.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had yesterday said Bangladesh and Pakistan based insurgent outfits were involved in the explosions.

Government spokesman Himanta Biswa Sarma had claimed on the day of the blast that jehadi elements with the help of ULFA had carried out the serial attacks. — PTI