| Last straw, cry residents | ||
Guwahati, April 7 : Residents of Maligaon gave vent to their anger this afternoon following the powerful blast that left seven dead and several injured in the busy area today. Police, fire-tenders and even mediapersons bore the brunt of the wrath of the people over the spate of bomb blasts in the city in recent times. A few photographers, police and fire brigade personnel sustained minor injuries as bottles and stones rained on them in a throwback to the scenes at Ganeshguri after the October 30 blast in the busy commercial area. Police had to resort to a mild lathicharge to restore order amid chants of “government murdabad”. The people lambasted the government for failing to provide security, which had resulted in militants carrying out blasts as per their whims. The anger among the residents erupted after the initial phase of shock and anguish, brought about by scenes of bodies strewn around on the road, wounded victims lying in pools of blood, gasping for breath and mangled frames of charred bikes, giving the place a war-ravaged look. Much of the public ire was directed towards the government and the police for their alleged failure to protect the lives and properties of the citizens. “How long can we remain quiet with people getting killed and maimed on a regular basis? Look at our vulnerability, the bomb was planted within near Jalukbari police station,” Sanjib Das, a local resident, said. “Enough is enough. We want the government to firmly deal with these blood-thirsty demons,” he added, before joining the group that was shouting slogans against the government and local legislator and health and family welfare minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma. “Guwahati has become like any of the Pakistani towns and cities where blasts have become commonplace, killing and maiming people at regular intervals,” said Anup Saha. Today’s was the second blast in the city within the span of a week. On March 31, a blast was triggered at Jyotikuchi. “The magnitude of the blast at Maligaon was much bigger. The scale and pattern of the blast brought back horrific memories of the serial blasts that rocked the city on October 30,” said Ratul Chakroborty, a local trader. “For some strange reason, the terrorists apparently have developed some grudge against the Maligaon area, he claimed, pointing out that the cosmopolitan locality was targeted more than once. “It is strange that despite being a militant target, there is hardly any visible presence of security personnel in the locality despite the fact that the NF Railway headquarters and several other important offices are located here,” Chakroborty said. Why are we targeted again and again? What did we do to deserve this? Why is the government not able to do anything to prevent the carnage? These were some questions Chakroborty sought answers to, even as he checked on his family and friends, calling them on his cell phone. “Thankfully, they are all well… but for how long?” he mumbled. |
Labels: Maligaon
