TNT alarm in Prafulla Mahanta’s car said to be false alarm

GUWAHATI: The "detection" of TNT twice in former Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta's bullet-proof Ambassador car has sent the police into a tizzy in Guwahati Monday morning.

After several examinations of the vehicle with metal detectors and a sniffer dog, police concluded that there was no trace of any explosives in the car and attributed it to a false alarm due to a technical fault.

On Sunday evening, police were alarmed when they had heard a sound emanating from Mahanta's vehicle. An examination of the car with electronic gadgets indicated the presence of the explosive material TNT. The National security Guard (NSG) was called in and they confirmed the finding.

Assam's director general of police Mukesh Sahay, said, "There was a sound in the car but subsequent tests revealed that there is no trace of TNT or other explosive material in the car. What caused the sound, or if it is a mechanical problem, is being looked into."

Mahanta urged the state government to take up the matter seriously.  "I was scheduled to visit Nagaon and Kaliabor and as such I was ready. But my personal security officer told me that the visit would be delayed as there was a problem with my vehicle. Later, I learnt about the detection of TNT in the car," he told New Indian Express.

Asked if this was an attempt on his life, Mahanta said, "A threat perception has been there for 30 years. Once when I was the chief minister, insurgents triggered a blast targeting my vehicle near the Kamakhya temple (in Guwahati)."

In January this year, the Union government withdrew the NSG commandos guarding Mahanta and scaled down the Z+ security cover by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). He is currently an MLA of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which is a constituent of the BJP-led coalition government in the state.

Source: www.bing.com