This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7699105.stm
The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Deadly blasts rock Indian state | |
(40 minutes later) | |
At least 24 people have been killed in a series of bomb explosions in India's north-eastern state of Assam, police have said. | |
More than 60 others were injured in at least nine blasts, the majority of them in the state capital, Guwahati. | |
The explosions in Guwahati and the towns of Kokrajhar, Barpeta Road and Bongaigaon occurred within an hour after 1100 local time (0530 GMT). | |
Security forces have been fighting separatist rebels in Assam for decades. | Security forces have been fighting separatist rebels in Assam for decades. |
Six people were killed in the first explosion in front of the deputy commissioner's office in Guwahati. | |
Five others were killed in the second explosion at Ganeshguri near the state secretariat and four in Panbazar in central Guwahati. | |
Five others were killed in three explosions that rocked the western town of Kokrajhar. | |
Explosions were also reported from the towns of Barpeta Road and Bongaigaon, two towns in western Assam. | |
Assam police chief RN Mathur said most of the bombs were "planted in cars". | |
'Massive strikes' | |
Intelligence officials said the separatist United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) was responsible for the blasts. | |
Most fighters in one of the Ulfa's elite strike battalion have announced a ceasefire with the government and the security forces have attacked and killed many other Ulfa fighters in recent weeks. | |
"So the Ulfa is striking back in a massive way by taking on soft targets," Assam police chief R N Mathur said. | |
"No other group can trigger so many blasts in so many places in such a coordinated fashion." | |
Two north-eastern state capitals - Agartala, capital of Tripura, and Imphal, capital of Manipur - have been rocked by serial explosions this month. | |
Seventeen people were killed and more than 100 injured in these explosions. | |
Local separatists were responsible for the explosions in the north-eastern cities. |