GUWAHATI, July 13 – Two Armymen including a Colonel of the Medical Corps were killed in a blast triggered by suspected NDFB militants in Sonitpur district early this morning. Army sources said that a team of the Medical Corps of the Army was proceeding towards Tenga in Arunachal Pradesh from Tezpur in two vehicles, one Maruti Gypsy and one ambulance. The militants triggered off the blast under the Gypsy near Balipara reserve forest killing both the occupants, Colonel SN Perumal, who is a doctor, and the driver Naik Aswini Kumar on the spot. The ambulance, which was following the Gypsy, was not affected. The incident occurred at around 5.30 am.
Sources said that the road is under construction in that area and the militants took advantage of the same to plant the improvised explosive device (IED).
Tezpur Correspondent adds: According to information available here the deceased Army officer who was a doctor deputed to Tenga Valley-based ANC-2-CO-405 Regiment’s field hospital and the jawan was on the way to Tenga Valley today early in the morning from Tezpur 4 Corp’s headquarters by his official vehicle bearing registration No. 99-B-066695X leading a big convoy consisting of about 20 vehicles when suspected militants triggered the blast.
In the powerful blast the officer’s vehicle was reduced to mangled and twisted metal and one ambulance that followed was also damaged with four persons sustaining serious wounds.
The officer who hailed from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh was in leave for the last few days and he reached Tezpur yesterday and joining his duty set out for Tenga Valley-based office while the jawan Ashini Kumar belonged to Haryana.
Meanwhile, informing media here, SP, Sonitpur Surendra Kumar said the handiwork of militant belonging to the 3rd battalion of banned NDFB behind the incident cannot be ruled out.
Sunil Chandra Rabha, Japan Basumatary, Token Narjary and Bomi Basumatary have been picked up from Majar Kaswoni area of Bhalukpung in connection with the blast. (Source – The Assam Tribune)