Guwahati, March 16 : At least four persons, including three women, were killed on the spot while more than 60 were injured when a powerful explosion occurred during a cultural function at Jonai in Dhemaji district of Eastern Assam on Saturday night. The police suspect it to be the handiwork of ULFA, which observed ‘Raising Day’ of its armed wing on Sunday.

Assam’s Principal Secretary (Home) Subhash Das said the explosion took place at around 11:45 pm on Saturday during a cultural function organised to mark ‘ali aie lrigang’ — the spring festival of the Mishing community who are in a majority in Dhemaji district.

“Though no outfit has claimed responsibility for the explosion, we suspect it to be the handiwork of none other than ULFA,” Das said.

ULFA, however, issued a statement late on Sunday evening saying it was not involved in the incident and that it was the handiwork of “some quarters which are up to tarnish ULFA’s image”. Das rubbished ULFA’s denial and said the outfit was in the habit of denying responsibility when innocent people got killed.

“Over 10,000 people, mostly from the Mishing community, had gathered for the cultural evening at the two-day celebrations when the explosion occurred. It was a horrible sight,” said Bhuban Pegu, local MLA who is also from the same community.

The Mishings are a Scheduled Tribe community inhabiting Upper Assam districts with highest concentration in Dhemaji.

Dhemaji Deputy Commissioner Divakar Mishra said the blast was a powerful one that occurred just by the side of the Circuit House at

Jonai, a subdivisional town. Four constables of the Assam Police Battalion were also injured.

The Deputy Commissioner also said while the panic-stricken people ran hither and thither in the darkness following the blast, many people were injured in the stampede-like situation.

The people incidentally caught hold of a running youth and beat him to death on suspicion that he was one of the culprits. The deceased has been identified as Raju Doley.

The other three who died on the spot have been identified as Bina Pegu, Kabita Sonowal, Someswar Sutradhar and Shahjahan Ali. Fifteen among the 60 injured have been shifted to the Assam Medical College Hospital at Dibrugarh across the Brahmaputra.

It was in the same Dhemaji district that a powerful explosion caused by ULFA had killed 14 persons, including 11 children, on Independence Day in 2004.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday announced an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh to the next of kin of the four persons killed. The state Government also announced Rs 30,000 each to those injured apart from directing the authorities to provide them free medical treatment.