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Bodo ultras threaten to blow up trains

The outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland -- fighting for an independent tribal homeland in Assam -- has warned commuters not to travel by trains beginning Friday.

The threat was issued in protest against the alleged torture of Bodo tribals by the military.

"We are going to target the railways with explosives and hence do not want any civilians to be hit," a militant statement said in Guwahati.

"It is advised that common people better avoid train journeys from Friday."

The Assam government said it was taking the Bodo threat seriously.

"We have stepped up security patrols in all vulnerable areas," Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta told AFP.

"To cause an explosion you don't need the people's support and one person can do the damage. That is the biggest problem."

In 10 years, Bodo militants have carried out more than 25 bomb attacks on trains in Assam, killing more than 50 people.

Regular commuters are understandably anxious. "We have seen how Bodo militants blew up trains. There is no guarantee that the security forces can stop them," said a train traveller, Abul Kalam.

"I'm scared enough not to take the train after Friday."

Nirmal Gogoi, a doctor, complained that the railways authorities were not doing enough to reassure passengers that extra safety precautions were being taken.

"It is the duty of the railways to keep us informed about the security measures. Otherwise, there is bound to be fear and panic," Gogoi said.

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