The 2009 Guwahati bombings occurred on 1 January 2009 in
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
,
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. They occurred a few hours before Indian Home Minister
P. Chidambaram
Palaniappan Chidambaram (born 16 September 1945), better known as P. Chidambaram, is an Indian politician and lawyer who currently serves as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. He served as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee ...
was due to travel to the city.Economic Times /ref>
The bombing was carried out by the
United Liberation Front of Asom
The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) (Assamese: সংযুক্ত মুক্তি বাহিনী, অসম) is an armed separatist organisation operating in the Northeast Indian state of Assam. It seeks to establish an indep ...
(ULFA), and left 6 people dead and a further 67 injured.
Details
Police confirmed that first blast took place near Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi TB Hospital at Birubari at 2.35pm, injuring five people, including a 10-year-old child. Another blast at the busy Bhootnath market near the famous
Kamakhya Temple
The Kamakhya Temple at Nilachal hills in Guwahati, Assam is one of the oldest and most revered centres of Tantric practices. The temple is the center of the ''Kulachara Tantra Marga'' and the site of the Ambubachi Mela, an annual festival t ...
, killed two people instantaneously and injured at least 25 others. Police said that a bomb was placed on a bicycle. Incidentally, P Chidambaram was to pass Bhootnath on his way from the airport.
The third blast occurred outside a
Big Bazaar
Big Bazaar was an Indian retail chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores. The retail chain was founded by Kishore Biyani under his parent organisation Future Group, which is known for having a significant prominen ...
retail outlet at Bhangagarh, a commercial area near Guwahati Medical College (GMCH), at 5.45 pm. Bhangagarh is one of the poshest areas in Guwahati and is home to many shopping malls. Three of the 34 people injured in the blast succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Police suspected that the bomb was kept inside a pan shop in the area. Another person died in the hospital making the death toll 6.
All three blasts were low intensity, carried using
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mecha ...
s (IED). Police say that the a biker placed the first bomb in a dustbin, the second one was placed on a cycle and third on the roadside. The second blast was the most powerful one. The third blast ignited a fire due to its proximity to a
kerosene
Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
source.
The injured were admitted to the GMCH and Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) and are reported to be in critical condition.
Investigation
The
United Liberation Front of Asom
The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) (Assamese: সংযুক্ত মুক্তি বাহিনী, অসম) is an armed separatist organisation operating in the Northeast Indian state of Assam. It seeks to establish an indep ...
(ULFA) is suspected of having carried out the bombings.
Reactions
Assam Chief Minister
Tarun Gogoi
Tarun Gogoi (11 October 1936 – 23 November 2020) was an Indian politician who served as the Chief Minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016. He was a member of the Indian National Congress and led the party to a record three consecutive electoral vi ...
admitted security lapses and expressed the need of strengthening the state police force.