Monday, August 8 2005 15:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Guwahati: In yet another incident United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) militants exploded a bomb in an oil pipeline in Assam's Tinsukia district causing extensive damages to it as the banned outfit stepped up offensive ahead of the Independence Day, police sources said in Guwahati today (Aug 8, 2005).

The militants had planted a bomb in an Oil India Limited (OIL) pipeline at Lankasi area under Bordubi police station, which exploded late last night.

Oil spilled over a large area and supply to the refineries has been stopped. Repair of the pipeline was on and was expected to be restored today though permanent restoration would take sometime.

This is the third blast on oil pipelines since yesterday (Aug 7, 2005) by the banned outfit with two other explosions in Sibsagar and Dibrugarh district also causing extensive damages.

ULFA militants have unleashed violence in the state in the run-up to the Independence Day exploding a bomb at Boko near here killing four people and injuring three others, attacking an army camp in Nalbari, besides the pipeline explosions and planting a bomb near the Lanka railway station which was detected and later defused yesterday.

Earlier, ULFA militants attacked Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police personnel in Tinsukia district on August two, killing one and injuring five others besides striking in Udalguri district on August five injuring a CRPF personnel and planting a grenade in Guwahati which exploded injuring two persons.