As many as 13 serial blasts rocked Assam on October 30, claiming 77 lives and rendering injured hundreds of people. The next day, on October 31, a total shut down was observed in blast-hit Kokrajhar while schools and educational institutions remained closed in Guwahati. Only a few shops in the city were opened and vehicular traffic was thin as most people kept indoors. All examinations scheduled under Guwahati University and State Education Board of Assam (SEBA) have been cancelled till further directive. Attendance in the offices was thin and in many areas shops and business establishments, particularly those in and around the blast site remained closed. Few public transport were seen plying on the roads in the morning. Opposition Asom Gana Parishad observed a ‘Black Day’ with all its leaders and cadres sporting black badges. Lawyers of both Gauhati High Court and Sessions Court in Guwahati abstained from work and held protests outside the court premises.
A team of NSG experts from New Delhi also visited the blast sites at Ganeshguri, the deputy commissioner’s office and Fancy Bazaar.