At least four people have been killed and scores of others injured in a series of bomb blasts in the north-east Indian state of Tripura. The first of four blasts went off at 7:30 p.m. when markets in Agartala, the state capital of Tripura, were packed with shoppers during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Three more blasts went off at nearby markets over the next 90 minutes, a senior police official, who goes by the name Shreyesh, was quoted by AP as saying. The blasts killed two people and injured at least 100, Shreyesh said adding that 20 victims are in critical condition. Meanwhile some media reports said four people were killed in the attack.
The incidents come after Indian government recently unveiled new security measures to tackle what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described as 'vast gaps' in intelligence gathering on home-grown militancy.
Several other Indian cities - Jaipur, Bangalore and New Delhi - have been hit by serial bombings since May, also claimed by the Indian militants.
India has been hit by several waves of bombings in recent years. Targets have ranged from mosques and Hindu temples to trains and courthouses. More than 450 people have died in separate attacks since October 2005, according to an official count.