4 Blasts Rock Assam On Republic Day 

GUWAHATI: As the country celebrated its 71st Republic day, four powerful explosions - three in Dibrugarh and one in Charaideo districts - rocked Upper Assam on Sunday morning. Police said that the blasts have occurred together in a span of 10 minutes - between 8.15 and 8.25 am. However, no reports of casualty.

The first blast was reported outside a shop at Teokghat in Sonari police station area of Charaideo district.

Three explosions followed soon after in Dibrugarh district - two at Graham Bazar and AT Road, beside a gurudwara, and another at the oil town of Duliajan Tiniali, just 100 metres from the local police station, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Padmanabh Barua told a news agency.

CCTV footages available at Duliajan Tiniali showed two motorcycle-borne youths lobbed a grenade and sped away. The blasts at Graham Bazar and AT Road were carried out with time-induced Improvised Explosive Devices, Barua said.

Senior police officers have rushed to the site of the explosions and a probe has been initiated.

Initial reports suggest that ULFA(Independent) could be behind the blasts, however, nothing has been established yet. The ULFA(I), along with several other proscribed outfits in the Northeast, had called for a boycott of the Republic Day celebrations.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the blasts and vowed to take strong action against the culprits.

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