A total shut down was observed today in blast-hit Kokrajhar on a call
given by VHP and the BJP while schools and educational institutions
remained closed in Guwahati in the wake of serial explosions that rocked
Assam, claiming 77 lives.
Only a few shops in the city were opened and vehicular traffic was thin
as most people kept indoors.
Twenty-one people lost their lives in Kokrajhar in the serial blasts.
BJP leader L K Advani, who arrived here this morning, visited the blast
site near the Deputy Commissioner's office where he faced a group of
angry lawyers who shouted slogans 'Advani go back'.
He also visited the Guwahati Medical College Hospital and met the
injured in the blast.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who is scheduled to arrive later in
the day, will visit Kokrajhar and Barpeta. He will also hold a
high-level meeting at the Lokopriyo Gopinath Bordoloi International
Airport in the evening.
A team of NSG experts from New Delhi also visited the blast sites at
Ganeshguri, the deputy commissioner's office and Fancy Bazaar.
Meanwhile, all examinations scheduled under the Gauhati University and
State Education Board of Assam (SEBA) have been cancelled till further
directive.
Attendance in the offices was thin and in many areas shops and business
establishments, particularly those in and around the blast site remained
closed. Few public transport were seen plying on the roads in the
morning.
Opposition Asom Gana Parishad is observing a 'Black Day' today with all
its leaders and cadres sporting black badges.
Lawyers of both Gauhati High Court and Sessions Court in Guwahati
abstained from work and held protests outside the court premises. PTI
