At least 71 killed in India bomb explosions

At least 71 people were killed and more than 300 injured in a dozen blasts that ripped through towns and markets in the insurgency-hit northeastern Indian state of Assam.

A police spokesman confirmed a total of 12 explosions within the space of about one hour, six of them in the state's main city of Guwahati on Thursday.

Three other districts in western Assam were also hit.

"Ten more injured people died in various hospitals taking the toll to 71," said Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although state officials said the bombings may have been the work of the rebel United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), which has been fighting for an independent homeland since 1979.

Police were also investigating whether Islamist fundamentalist groups active in Assam - such as the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami - may have been to blame.

"Jihadi forces could be behind this in collaboration with local militants," said state police intelligence chief Khagen Sharmna.

The ULFA released a statement denying it was involved in the blasts.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi described the attacks as "an act of cowardice... designed and carried out to spread terror."

An immediate curfew was clamped on Guwahati as angry residents went on the rampage, attacking police vehicles, fire engines and even ambulances.

"The area was teeming with people, office workers, shoppers and vendors when a very big explosion took place," said witness Arindam Das, who was shopping in one of the targeted markets.

The blasts, including one in front of the Guwahati District Magistrate's Court, were powerful enough to reduce nearby vehicles to a heap of twisted metal.

"Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition," Deputy Inspector General of Assam Police G.P. Singh said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said every effort would be made to bring the bombers to justice.

"Such barbaric acts targeting innocent men, women and children only highlight the desperation and cowardice of those responsible," Singh said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in New Delhi on an official visit, condemned what he called an "act of terrorism targeting civilians," according to a statement issued by his spokeswoman Michele Montas.

In London, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the attacks were a "terrible reminder of the threat from violent extremism," and vowed continued anti-terror cooperation between Britain and India.

Sarma, the government's main spokesman, said preliminary investigations showed some of the bombs had been strapped to bicycles and packed with incendiary material to trigger fires.

"The needle of suspicion is on the ULFA," Sarma told reporters. "Most of the bombs were planted in crowded places like markets and office complexes. So it shows that the perpetrators wanted high casualties."

The explosions in Guwahati injured more than 150 people and the city's hospitals were overwhelmed by the influx of casualties.

The attacks came six weeks after New Delhi was hit by a series of bombs in crowded markets that left more than 20 dead. Those blasts were claimed by a group calling itself the Indian Mujahedeen.

In the past two decades, more than 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Assam, which is known for its tea, timber and oil reserves.

Public support for the ULFA has dwindled in recent years after a series of attacks in public places that claimed heavy civilian casualties.

Non-Assamese people make up nearly one-quarter of the remote state's 26 million people. The state has 800,000 people from Bihar state, many of whom have lived in Assam for decades.

In January 2007, police blamed the ULFA for a wave of attacks in which 62 people were killed, mainly Hindi-speaking migrant workers.

Peace talks between the ULFA and the government fell apart in 2006. Since then the rebels have kept up their attacks.

Violent insurgencies have wracked India's northeastern states - known as the "seven sisters" - for decades.

More than 50,000 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence in the region since India's independence in 1947.

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