In a brazen act of sabotage, a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) detonated on a railway track in Assam's volatile Kokrajhar district early Thursday, October 23, 2025, ripping apart infrastructure and plunging train services into chaos across Lower Assam and parts of north Bengal. The midnight blast, occurring around 1:00 a.m. between Kokrajhar and Salakati stations—approximately five kilometers east of Kokrajhar railway station—sent shockwaves through the region, highlighting ongoing security vulnerabilities in Northeast India's Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).

The explosion, detected after a goods train (UP AZARA Sugar) reported a heavy jerk and halted abruptly, caused severe damage: nearly three feet of the rail line was torn apart, with fragments hurled several meters away. Sleepers supporting the tracks were also mangled, forcing an immediate suspension of all up and down line movements. "The blast ripped through the section, but miraculously, there were no casualties or derailments," Kokrajhar Senior Superintendent of Police Pushpraj Singh told reporters. Preliminary investigations point to unidentified miscreants planting the IED, though officials cautioned it's too early to confirm motives or perpetrators.

Train operations ground to a halt overnight, stranding hundreds of passengers and disrupting key routes in the Northeast Frontier Railway's (NFR) Alipurduar Division. Services remained paralyzed until around 8:00 a.m., with several passenger and freight trains delayed or rerouted, causing widespread panic and frustration among commuters. Eyewitnesses described the scene as eerie: "We felt the ground shake; it was like thunder in the dead of night," recounted a local resident near the site. Railway authorities swiftly mobilized repair crews, who worked through the dawn to patch the damaged portion, restoring full movement by mid-morning.

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The incident has reignited fears in Kokrajhar, a district long scarred by ethnic insurgencies and militant activities from groups like the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) factions. Though a peace accord in 2020 aimed to stabilize the BTR, sporadic violence persists, often targeting infrastructure to sow discord. Security experts speculate this could be a bid to undermine development projects or signal unrest amid ongoing land disputes between indigenous Bodo and Adivasi communities. "This isn't just vandalism—it's a targeted attack on connectivity," noted a senior NFR official, emphasizing the route's role in ferrying essential goods and linking remote villages.

In response, authorities have ramped up patrols along vulnerable rail stretches in Kokrajhar and neighboring districts, deploying additional Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, Assam Police, and intelligence units. Forensic teams scoured the site for clues, including explosive residues, while drone surveillance and CCTV footage from nearby stations are under review. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma directed a high-level probe, vowing swift action: "We will hunt down those responsible and ensure our rails remain secure arteries of progress." No group has claimed responsibility yet, but investigations are exploring links to banned outfits.

This blast echoes a darker history of rail sabotage in the Northeast, where militants have previously derailed trains to draw attention to grievances. In 2023, similar incidents in neighboring districts led to heightened federal involvement. As normalcy returns, the event serves as a stark reminder of the fragile peace in Assam, where economic corridors like the vital Kokrajhar-Salakati line are both lifelines and flashpoints. With the festive season approaching, residents hope for unhindered travel, but the shadow of instability looms large—prompting calls for fortified defenses and community outreach to root out dissent.

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