First Hand Report on Assam Terror

Bro. Milton Terang
January 2009

You are probably keeping track of the news about the serial bomb blasts in Assam leaving 71 dead, nearly 500 injured, some of them without limbs. There were seven powerful blasts in Guwahati alone, one in Panbazar, just in front of our campus. The one in Panbazar killed three on the spot, injuring many. The shops (owned by Guwahati Baptist Church) were badly damaged, the windows of the church were damaged, and ceiling came off and fell on the pastor's head, injuring him.

I, along with my wife and child, were coming back from my native in the train, when my brother called me that there was a bomb blast in front of our house in Panbazar. When we arrived, one and half hours after the blast, the streets were already deserted. Somehow we managed to come to our quarter, there was blood at our front gate, so I motioned my wife to take the back door. When we entered the house, the front door which I locked before we left was open, the floor was full of glass, doors and windowpanes broken, picture frames and clocks broken, utensils on the kitchen floor, bathroom door (which we latched before we left) flung open. Pieces of metal--cars blown to pieces, fell on our roof. It was a terrible sight to see. I also found out that two of our hostel boys were also killed, face beyond recognition, without arms and legs.

We are grateful to God that we arrived 90 minutes late, and to think that we almost came back to our native place the previous day. WE can't imagine what could have happened to our baby. My colleagues in our office (300 meters away) said it was like earthquake with a deafening sound. The situation in Guwahati is warlike. Please pray that innocent lives will be protected, those injured will recover, and families of the victims comforted.

(Br. Milton and Sister Hanna were with City Harvest AG Church for the last 3 years and presently are ministering in Guwahati).