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The Assam Tribune, Aug 17
(http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=aug1707\City1)
Guwahatians defy ultra diktat, celebrate I-Day with enthusiasm
By A Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Aug 16 Guwahatians celebrated the Independence Day this time round
with a difference. Defying the diktats of the militants, the residents of many
city localities organized public functions to celebrate the day and to hoist
the Tricolour after a gap of about three decades. On the other hand, an
encouraging number of people from different walks of life joined the function
held on the occasion on the Guwahati Press Club premises in response to the
appeal made by 16 journalists.
Hoisting the National Flag at the Guwahati Press Club campus function, noted
litterateur Nirupama Borgohain underlined the importance of celebrating the
Independence Day and Republic Day of the country. People should come out in
large numbers to hoist the National Flag on both the occasions ignoring the
diktats of the militants, she said.
She exuded the confidence that the community celebrations that had begun in the
city this time and the efforts made by the 16 journalists for the past several
years to instill patriotism among the people would surely succeed in winning
over people in growing numbers. All attempts at gagging the popular voice would
fizzle out. The impact of the militants diktats would also wither away
automatically provided people start joining the Independence Day and Republic
Day celebrations in large numbers, she said.
Ultras fail to disrupt I-Day celebrations
By A Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Aug 16 Though a series of incidents of violence were reported
from different parts of Assam during the Independence Day celebrations
yesterday, no casualty was reported from anywhere as the militants failed to
penetrate the security barricade around the parade grounds. Police sources said
that on the midnight of August 14, Army recovered two improvised explosive
devices from the residence of one Abdul Kader of Niz Kharupetia area in Darrang
district and the person picked up was handed over to the police. Since last
morning, several incidents of violence were reported from different parts of
the State during the Independence Day celebrations but those incidents did not
affect the celebrations in any way.
Police said that a bomb planted on a road located about 200 metres away from
the parade ground in Bongaigaon town exploded at 8 am but as the area was
deserted, no one was injured. The second blast of the day took place near a
transformer of the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) near the Mahamaya
playground in Gauripur town in Dhubri district at around 8.35 am, while the
third blast took place in the Mahamaya jungles at 9.05 am. No one was hurt in
either of the blasts. The fourth blast of the day took place in between Jatinga
and Harangajao in North Cachar hills district, while at 5.40 pm, Army personnel
belonging to 5 Bihar regiment recovered one IED planted on the railway track
between Doldoli and Dhansiri railway stations in Karbi Anglong and averted a
disaster.
Police sources said that despite their best efforts, the ultras including
those belonging to the ULFA could not penetrate the security barricade of the
parade grounds and hence they were forced to make their presence felt by
planting bombs at isolated places. Sources said that the civil administration
and police took over the possession of the designated parade grounds much
earlier and tight security arrangements were made in all the grounds to ensure
that no untoward incident takes place.
Sources said that the security agencies managed to intercept messages of the
ULFA leaders asking the cadres to create disturbance during the celebrations,
which kept police and all the other forces involved in counter-insurgency
operations on their toes, while the arrest of a hardcore militant with
explosives in Dibrugarh on July 24 also confirmed the intercepts to be correct
as during questioning, the arrested militant admitted that the mandate given to
him was to plant explosives on a parade ground.
Our Correspondents add: Mangaldoi : Before the Independence Day celebration
at Mangaldoi Gandhi Maidan yesterday, three bombs, two at Dalgaon and one at
Kerimeri Chowk here, were recovered by police and subsequently defused by SI
Mahesh Nath.
Sonari : A huge quantity of explosives and ammunition were recovered by
Armys 66 field regiment, stationed at Maibella, and Sonari police on the
midnight of August 14 from Abhoipur Reserve Forest under Sonari police station.
The recovered items included a high-banded Japanese radio set with wireless
programming, 3 kg RDX, half kg PNT, 60 detenators, one IED, 5 grenades, one
Mercury and several rounds ammunition.
The Sentinel (Aug 17) editorial (http://sentinelassam.com)
A Welcome Change
This newspaper would salute the people of Asom who mustered courage to
celebrate Independence Day, defying the diktats of the militants. On Wednesday,
as the country celebrated its 60 years of Independence, one should have seen
the Guwahatians too, though not all, who made it clear that Independence did
matter to all of them. Some of those Guwahatians were shopkeepers and vendors
who did their business as usual, while some were enthusiasts, in their
individual or collective capacities, who were out in the streets with the
national tricolour atop their private cars. The celebration was beyond
officialdom and that is remarkable. Compared to last years Independence Day
in Asom, this time the celebration was more pronounced. This, not only in the
capital city but throughout the State a change which ought to be sustained to
drive home the point that the Asomiyas have learnt to defy the diktats of the
militants in their own independent ways after years of fear and
suppression. As this column suggested on the occasion of Independence Day, it
is the freedom from fear that alone will have the younger generation
cherish the values and moral of an exemplary freedom struggle that proved to
the world the wonders of non-violence. Those values and moral can surely resist
the march of the evil practitioners of violence.
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