World | India
Deadly bombings hit northern Indian state of Assam
Indian authorities interrogate a dozen suspects in the serial bombings that killed at least 77 people.
- Agencies
- Published: 11:36 October 30, 2008
- Image Credit: AP
- The father of a victim who died in a bomb blast cries at the morgue in Gauhati Medical College hospital.
Guwahati: Indian police interrogated about a dozen people on Friday over suspected links to serial bombings in Assam state that killed at least 77 people.
A dozen explosions shook the state on Thursday in the space of an hour, ripping through many crowded areas in the main city of Guwahati.
Police said on Friday that the Bangladesh-based Harkat Ul Jihad Al Islami (HuJI) rebel group is the main suspect in the attack.
Police also said that they were investigating the possible role
the United Liberation Front of Asom, which denied any involvement.
Preliminary investigations showed some of the bombs had been strapped to bicycles and packed with incendiary material to trigger fires.
Assam Home Commissioner Subhas Das said 15 people had died of their injuries overnight, taking the death toll to 77. More than 470 people were injured in the blasts.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in New Delhi on an official visit, condemned what he called an "act of terrorism targeting civilians," while Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh vowed to bring the bombers to justice.
Meanwhile, Seven people were injured in Guwahati on Friday after angry residents protesting against the blasts clashed with police near one blast site.
Police fired into the air and a curfew was later imposed in the market area to thwart further protests.
Do you know someone affected by the blast? Is the security system in India ineffective? What could be done to improve the situation?
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