Victims’ kin to get relief at home
Bijay Sankar Bora
Tribune News Service

Relatives of Dipak Deka, a victim of last week's bomb blasts, cry during his funeral procession in Guwahati on Monday. Deka succumbed to his injuries on Monday. — Reuters

Guwahati, November 3
The Assam government has worked out a strategy for prompt pay compensation to victims of serial blasts to the next of the kin at their respective residences through concerned district level officials.

Assam health minister Dr Himanta Bishwa Sharma informed that compensation of Rs 3 lakh as announced by the state government would be paid against all deceased to their kin at their residence while Rs 50,000 each would be paid to injured at the time of their discharge from the hospital. The process of distribution of the compensation was started today and would be completed within seven days.

The minister informed that post-mortem had been carried out on 78 bodies so far, while the death toll due to the blasts rose 81. Altogether 826 persons were treated for injuries in 12 hospitals all over the state following the blasts and out of those 361 were admitted in hospitals. The state government is bringing an expert team of doctors from AIIMS, New Delhi, for specialised treatment for some mentally traumatised blasts victims.

The minister informed that the state government was coordinating with the Central government for early disbursement of the ex-gratia announced by the Centre at the behest of the Prime Minister. The Centre would provide Rs 4 lakh against each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for injured who had to be admitted to hospital.

B’desh Terror Groups
Assam to set up research cell
Bijay Sankar Bora
Tribune News Service

Guwahati, November 3
On an initiative aimed at countering designs of terrorist groups based in Bangladesh, the Assam government has decided to set up a ‘Research and Analysis Wing’ in its police force to keep a tab on those groups in respect of latest terror tactics, technology used and the modus operandi.

Assam government spokesman and cabinet minister Dr Himanta Bishwa Sharma today said, “Whether it is the banned ULFA, any other terror group from the North East or Islamic terror groups active in the state, all have links with Bangladesh where they have shelter and training camps.”

The suggestion for the wing was made by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi during the emergency Cabinet meeting held to review the post-blasts situation in the state.

“We need proper documentation, research and analysis to read the minds of terrorists and follow the trends in their activities to avoid more violence,” Dr Sharma said.

“The investigating team, probing the serial explosions, is on the right track. The police have got the sketches of at least two blast suspects prepared by experts on the basis of the information provided by an advocate and they are now leafing through criminal records to match the sketches which will ultimately be made public,” he said.

So far, five persons have been arrested and several others detained in connection with the synchronised blasts on October 30 that ripped through Guwahati city and towns in Kokrajhar, Barpeta Road and Bongaigaon, killing over 80 and injuring over 360.

Four persons were held in connection with the vehicles used in the blasts, while another was arrested for being the owner of the mobile phone connection from which the SMS was sent to a local satellite channel in the name of Islamic Security Force (ISF), owning up the serial blasts.

Bandh hits life

Normal life was affected today as an 11-hour Assam bandh was called by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) protesting Thursday's serial blasts in the state.

Protesters pelted stones on a bus today morning at Makum in Tinsukia district, but no passenger was injured, the sources said. They also damaged two trucks of goods on the National Highway 37 near Sonapur, while train movement was stalled at Moran, sources said.

In Moran, under Dibrugarh district, picketers attempted to block the railway tracks to stop movement of trains, while two trucks of goods were damaged at Jugdal near Sonapur in Kamrup district, the sources said.