Church condemns blasts that kill 77 people in Assam

Church in India condemned the series of explosions in Assam that killed over 77 people and wounded some 470 others.

The blasts had ripped through Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta on Thursday.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India expressed “heartfelt condolences and prayers for the affected families” and said the nation is facing “tough challenges from enemies outside as well as within the country.”

“The anti–social elements are making their presence felt by their inhuman and shameless acts of violence and terrorism. Violence is no answer for any grievance,” said the bishops’ condolence message.

The bishops said “this is a time for the citizens of this country to remain united and fight terrorism with firmness” and show “our strength to the enemies by coming together as true citizens of the country and thwarting the motives of all those who take law in their hands.”

Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, Assam's inspector general of police, says federal investigators have started sifting through the rubble of the blasts to determine the type of explosives used.

Intelligence agencies suspect that jihadis — especially Harkat–ul–Jehadi–e–Islami (HuJI) — are increasingly using northeast–based terror outfits to carry out attacks in the region.

"We had information that HuJI–Bangladesh was using northeast underground bases in Bangladesh to trigger blasts. In Agartala, they used All Tripura Tiger Force and we have suspicion that in Assam they used Ulfa," said an intelligence officer.

Assam has witnessed massive ethnic violence since early 1980s and ULFA–sponsored insurgency but this is the first time that a terror attack in the form of serial blasts rocked the state in such a magnitude.