Narrow escape for Rajdhani Express as bomb explodes on track

Passengers of the Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express had a narrow escape when a powerful bomb targeting the train exploded on a railway track.

Passengers of the Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express had a narrow escape when a powerful bomb targeting the train exploded on a railway track in Karbi Anglong district in the wee hours on Thursday.

The incident occurred five-km away from the town at 1.10 am,just after a security escort engine for checking the tracks passed the area prior to the movement of the Rajdhani Express,police said,adding the bomb was planted by a suspected ethnic group.

None was injured in the blast that caused a 2.5 feet deep crater on the track,police said.

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District Superintendent of Police K K Sarma and senior officials of the five Rajputana Rifles rushed to the blast site and recovered another powerful improvised explosive devise (IED) on the tracks.

The IED was removed and safely defused at 5.10 am,the police said.

The Rajdhani,which was detained at Diphu railway station,was later allowed to proceed around 9 am after the track was repaired,police said,adding,the Dibrugarh-Delhi Brahmaputra mail,Kolkata-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express and local Moriani-Guwahati passed through the tracks.

The bomb was believed to have been planted by militants of the Karbi Longri National Liberation Front (KNLF),which has been involved in violent strikes in the district since March 17 after their unilateral ceasefire called from January One ended.

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The KNLF has denied its involvment in the blast and other incidents in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls. The Front has also submitted a five-point charter to political parties asking them to clarify their stand on its demands.

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