Sanjib Talukdar

Police on Tuesday arrested a former president of Gauhati University students’ union in connection with the grenade blast in Guwahati.

Police officials said Gauhati University Post Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU) former president Sanjib Talukdar was arrested on Tuesday night from his home at Baihata Chariali on outskirts of Guwahati for his alleged involvement in the grenade blast on RG Baruah road in the city.

The ULFA (I) militants triggered the grenade blast on May 15 in front of the Guwahati Central shopping mall on busy RG Baruah Road injuring 12 persons.

Police claimed arrested students’ leader Sanjib was in constant touch with ULFA (I) commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah on phone prior to the blast.

“Before the incident, on the directives of the ULFA (I) chief Baruah, the former student leader took Bijoy Asom and Papu Koch on a tour to the city,” said a police official.

Police earlier had said that Bijoy Asom, who was arrested from Doomdooma in Tinsukia district on May 21 in connection with the blast, hurled the grenade on May 15 in front of the Guwahati Central shopping mall.

Police earlier also arrested Jahnabi Saikia, a little known TV actor and her associate, pro-talk ULFA leader Pranamoy Rajguru besides three others—Chinmoy Laskar, Indra Mohan Bora and Amit Ballav Goswami.

Both Jahnabi and Pranamoy were arrested from a rented house in city’s Panjabari area while former ULFA rebel Amit was held from Golaghat. Chinmoy and Indra were apprehended from Guwahati and Nagaon respectively.

According to police, Chinmoy, a resident of city’s Christianbasti area, joined ULFA (I) few months back and Indra worked as linkman of the outfit.