Centre had provided intelligence to Assam

GUWAHATI: Refusing to blame intelligence failure for the serial blasts in Guwahati, home minister P Chidambaram, on Friday, said that Assam police had acted "swiftly and decisively" on the inputs provided by the Centre but was "unlucky" to have missed the culprits.

"Assam police nearly apprehended him (one of the blast suspects). A little bit of luck evaded Assam Police. I am sure next time Assam Police will be lucky," Chidambarm told reporters in Guwahati.

Chidambaram said the Centre had intelligence inputs which were passed on swiftly to the state.

He disagreed that the blast occurred due to intelligence failure. "Assam police acted swiftly and decisively" but were unlucky not to apprehend the culprits, Chidambaram said in reply to a question.

Chidambaram said riverine police should be set up in Assam along Brahmaputra.

Asked whether the blasts were the result of intelligence failure, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi had, on Thursday, said I do not say failure but lapses are there."

"No country can provide 100 per cent security and we don't have the best intelligence," Gogoi told reporters.

"We need to improve and strengthen our police force apart from ensuring its modernisation," he had said.

Five persons were killed and over 50 injured in three blasts in Guwahati on Thursady.