republic-day-panic-in-guwahati-after-loud-noise-heard

A loud noise reverberated through Guwahati on Sunday morning, sparking panic among the public as the city marked the 76th Republic Day.

 

According to the police, the sound was heard near the truck parking area close to the Brahmaputra Vegetable Market in the Beharbari region.

 

“The local police are currently investigating the incident,” a senior official from Assam Police Headquarters said.

 

An employee of Brahmaputra Bazar, who was present at the time, said: “It was around 7.45 am. After we hoisted the national flag inside our compound, we heard the sound. We rushed outside but found no injuries or property damage.”

 

Locals speculated that a similar sound had been heard in Rehabari; however, the police dismissed this as a rumour, stating no such incident had occurred.

Meanwhile, an unattended bag left near the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Betkuchi further contributed to the growing anxiety.

 

The police responded promptly, sanitising the area and conducting a thorough search with an anti-sabotage team.

 

“We found only clothes and some ID cards inside. It appears someone left it behind by mistake. We will return the bag after verifying the owner,” a police officer confirmed.

 

Later, a purported email from the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) or ULFA (I) claimed responsibility for "blasts" at two locations in Guwahati.

 

The email suggested that the group’s intent was to send a message to the people of Assam, warning them against participating in Republic Day or Independence Day events in the future.

 

“IED blasts were carried out at several places, including Lalmati and Rehabari,” the email stated.

 

In recent days, Guwahati has been under heightened security due to the ULFA(I)’s call for a boycott of Republic Day festivities.

 

This increase in security measures is in response to last year’s Independence Day, when the group claimed to have planted bombs at 24 locations across Assam, triggering a series of blasts.

 

Authorities later discovered "bomb-like substances" at 10 locations, including four in Guwahati.