TNT scare in Assam ex-CM Mahanta’s bullet-proof car
GUWAHATI: The Assam police on Monday ‘detected’ explosive material trinitrotoluene (TNT) twice in former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta’s bullet-proof car only to find out it was a false alarm.
The ‘detection’ happened twice in Guwahati before metal detectors and sniffer dogs helped officials conclude a technical fault, not the presence of any explosive material, had triggered the scare.
The bullet-proof car, an Ambassador, is kept with the Special Branch of the state police whenever not in use.
The police went into a tizzy after the car made strange sounds on Sunday night. Preliminary investigations with electronic gadgets confirmed presence of TNT in the car. The National Security Guards (NSG) too gave a similar report.
“Tests revealed there was no explosive in the car. The cause of the sound, probably a mechanical problem, is being looked into,” Mukesh Sahay, the state’s director general of police, said.
“I was scheduled to visit (central Assam’s) Nagaon and Kaliabor for Bihu functions but my PSO told me my travel will be delayed because of some fault with my vehicle. I learnt about the detection of TNT in the car,” Mahanta told HT.
On the threat to his life, the former chief minister said: “I have been facing it for 30 years now. During my tenure as CM, insurgents had triggered a blast targeting my vehicle near the Kamakhya temple (in Guwahati).”