Assam seeks CBI probe into blasts, Bhutanese national arrested

Guwahati, Nov 12 (IANS) The Assam government Wednesday decided to seek a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Oct 30 serial bombings, even as police arrested two militants, including a Bhutanese national, in connection with the terror attack.

'The Assam government has decided to ask the CBI to probe the serial blasts. This decision was taken at an all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi,' a government spokesman said.

Police Wednesday arrested two people - Sabin Boro, the self-styled home secretary of the NDFB, and Bhutanese national Tenzing Jhapa - from a rented house here.

Police said they were part of the group of rebels who hatched the serial bombing plan.

The two were remanded to 10-days police custody by a Guwahati court.

Meanwhile, security forces are keeping the heat on the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland with police and paramilitary troopers storming an NDFB designated camp in western Baksa district Wednesday night.

'We carried out an identification parade in the camp and picked up two NDFB cadres suspected to be linked to the bombings. The two NDFB militants were being brought to Guwahati for interrogation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the blasts,' a senior police official said.

The state government Tuesday said the NDFB carried out the wave of bombings in Assam that killed 83 people and wounded 800 in collaboration with the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).

'Involvement of some active members of the NDFB has come to light during the course of the investigations. The involvement of the ULFA in the conspiracy of carrying out serial blasts in the state has also come to the fore during investigations,' a statement by the government said Tuesday.

The NDFB is a rebel group fighting for an independent homeland for the tribal Bodo community in western Assam. The group is operating a ceasefire with New Delhi since May 2005.

There are doubts over the continuance of the ceasefire with the NDFB after the recent developments with both the state and the central governments contemplating ending the truce.

The ULFA is fighting for an independent homeland since 1979 for an independent Assamese homeland.