Man held with live bullets at Assam swearing-in venue in Guwahati

A man was taken into custody on Tuesday, May 12, after a few rounds of live bullets were allegedly recovered from him during security screening at the venue of the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Assam, police said.

The incident took place at the Veterinary College Field in Khanapara, where Himanta Biswa Sarma was set to take oath as Chief Minister for a second consecutive term.

According to police, the bullets were recovered from the man during routine security checks at one of the entry gates of the venue.

“He was taken into custody for questioning and is being taken to Basistha police station,” a police officer said.
Police said no firearm or other weapon was recovered from the individual.

An investigation has been launched to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the recovery and whether the incident posed any security threat, officials added.

The incident occurred minutes before Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya was scheduled to administer the oath of office and secrecy to Himanta Biswa Sarma and members of his new Council of Ministers.

The ceremony in Guwahati is being attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, along with more than 40 chief ministers and deputy chief ministers from NDA-ruled States.