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Republic Day 2025: Loud sound triggers panic across Guwahati, probe underway
The police informed that a sound was heard at the truck parking near the Brahmaputra vegetable market in the Beharbari area.
A loud sound triggered panic among people in Guwahati during Republic Day celebrations on Sunday.
According to a PTI report, the police informed that a sound was heard at the truck parking near the Brahmaputra vegetable market in the Beharbari area.
"The local police are examining it," a senior official from Assam Police headquarters told PTI.
An employee of Brahmaputra Bazar said, "It was heard around 7.45 am. After we hoisted the national flag inside our compound, we heard the sound. We came running out. There was no injury or damage to any property."
Similar incident at Rehabari
Locals said they heard a similar sound in Rehabari, but police denied such an occurrence and termed it a rumor.
In another development, an unattended bag near the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Betkuchi caused panic.
Police said the whole area was sanitised and a thorough search was being conducted by an anti-sabotage squad.
The police officer informed,"We did not find anything inside it other than clothes and some ID cards. Probably someone mistakenly left it. We will return the bag after proper verification of the owner."
Also Read: Republic Day Parade: Tableaux, contingents, fly-past shine at Kartavya Path | Visuals
Responsibility taken by ULFA- (I)
In the evening, the banned organisation ULFA (I) reportedly sent an email to the press, claiming responsibility for the "blasts" at two locations in Guwahati.
The banned outfit stated that they aimed to send an important message to the public without causing any harm, urging people to avoid participating in the upcoming Independence Day and Republic Day events.
The group later claimed responsibility for multiple IED blasts, stating they had targeted various locations, including Lalmati and Rehabari.
Guwahati Police commissioner Parthasarathi Mahanta said that only a thorough investigation would reveal what actually happened. He explained, “There was a sound and a police team went there to check it... After investigation, we will be able to tell if miscreants did it.”
Guwahati has been under tight security for several days ahead of Republic Day due to a call by ULFA(I) to boycott the celebrations. The heightened security measures were timely, considering the Independence Day incident last year, when ULFA(I) claimed responsibility for placing explosives at 24 locations across Assam, aiming to trigger a series of blasts.
Afterward, police discovered "bomb-like objects" at at least ten locations, four of which were in Guwahati.
(With inputs from PTI)
