Guwahati, July 13 2009: An army colonel and his driver died when a powerful IED blew up their vehicle at Bhalukpong on the Assam-Arunachal border on Friday.

Police suspected the hand of National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) in the blast that took place in Assam's Sonitpur district.

Col SM Perumal, the commanding officer of the army's field ambulance unit at Tenga, was going to the 5 Mountain Division headquarters in Arunachal Pradesh.

The driver was identified as naik Ashwini Kumar.

An army ambulance following Col Perumal's vehicle survived the attack.

The blast was so powerful that it reduced Col Perumal's Gypsy into pieces, killing both the officer and his driver on the spot.

Police said the explosives, weighing over 10 kg, created a huge crater on the road.

The colonel was from Secuderabad and the naik was a Haryana native.

Army spokesman Col R Kalia said the incident took place 10 km away from the inter-state check gate at Bhalukpung.

He added that the militants used wire-connected batteries to trigger the explosion.

Soon after the incident, army personnel rushed to the site and launched a massive combing operation.

Four villagers were picked up for interrogation.

Army and police cordoned off the area and set up camps inside a nearby forest to prevent the militants from escaping.

Police sources said the anti-talks faction of NDFB could be involved in the attack.

They said the blast could be an act of reprisal against the ongoing military operation against NDFB.

A number of NDFB rebels have been killed by security forces in recent months.

Last October also, NDFB was accused of triggering serial blasts that killed nearly 90 people in Guwahati and other parts of Assam.

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