Four Assam police personnel and a driver were injured when militants belonging to the banned outfit United Liberation Front of Asom tried to blow up the vehicle of a senior police official near Sonari in eastern Assam's Sivasagar district on Wednesday

Police sources said that the militant's target, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Jayanta Sarothi Bora, escaped unhurt as the blast narrowly missed him.

The bomb was planted on the road by suspected ULFA militants. The SDPO, on the way back from a routine patrol, spotted some soft soil on the road ahead and asked his PSOs and the driver to take a look at it. As soon as the PSOs and the driver reached the spot, the bomb exploded and injured the five men.

The explosion took place at approximately 12.45 pm. at Khona Road Junction, 15 km from Sonari town. The SDPO was on a routine patrol duty in the area, which is close to the Assam-Nagaland border.

The police said that there was unusual movement of Army and police patrol teams in the area on Wednesday as Shradha rituals were being held at the local residence of an ULFA militant, who was killed last week. The security forces were deployed to prevent any untoward incidents during the funeral of the slain ULFA militant.