GUWAHATI, Nov 2 – Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today asserted that the State Government had repeatedly been pursuing the issue of terrorists using the soil of neighbouring countries to perpetrate violence in the State. “Fundamentalist and divisive forces working from foreign land want to destabilise Assam. We have all along been pursuing this matter with the Centre. It is not that the Centre is not doing anything about it but more needs to be done,” Gogoi said at a press conference.

Stating that investigations into Thursday’s blasts were going on in the right direction, Gogoi said that more precise intelligence input was needed to establish the identity of the perpetrators of the mayhem.

“We want to improve on the intelligence network, and a special task force for investigation into terrorist incidents would be set up,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that it would be wrong to make a distinction between the ULFA and jehadi elements, as terrorism knew no religion. “Right now I do not rule out the involvement of either in the blasts,” he said.

To a question whether tougher laws were needed to combat the growing menace of terrorism, Gogoi said that while tough laws were required, conviction in a court of law was more important.

“We need tough laws, and in fact, we have been contemplating on this for a few months but I would not suggest POTA. The issue of human rights is always there, and it is like a tightrope walk for us,” he said.

Gogoi said that the State Government would induct more manpower into the police force for effectively dealing with the law-and-order situation.

Gogoi said that going by the recent spate in violence, forces inimical to the interests of the State were trying to rift a communal divide among the people but that “such attempts would never be allowed to succeed.”

The Chief Minister also announced that a suitable compensation package would be prepared for the blast-affected shopkeepers, auto-rickshaw drivers, etc.

On the spurt in bandhs called by different organizations following the blasts, Gogoi said that those were totally uncalled-for under the circumstances, as those would adversely affect the patients undergoing treatment in hospitals. “This is not the time to seek political mileage. Those calling bandhs should have waited for at least a week,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that the Government was leaving no stone unturned to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured, and till date there had been no complaint concerning treatment.

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