Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=10/02/04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=INDIA/BOMBS (S-O)

NUMBER=2-319383

BYLINE=PATRICIA NUNAN

DATELINE=NEW DELHI

CONTENT=

HEADLINE: Explosions Rock Northeastern India

INTRO: Two explosions in northeastern India have killed at least 19 people and injured scores more. The blasts took place in the remote northeastern region of Nagaland, home to a long-running separatist conflict. VOA's Patricia Nunan reports from New Delhi.

TEXT: The first blast, on a train platform crowded with passengers, sent body parts flying. Minutes later, another explosion went off in a nearby marketplace, filled with shoppers enjoying a national holiday marking the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, who led the drive for India's independence.

Police investigating the attacks say, that, so far, no group has claimed responsibility for the carnage.

Both blasts took place in the city of Dimapur, the commercial hub of Nagaland state. The remote region is home to dozens of anti-government groups. The largest of them, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, has fought a long-running campaign for independence.

The group signed a cease-fire agreement with the government in 1997, but a breakaway faction was not part of that deal.

Another explosion went off in the neighboring state of Assam, killing at least one. But police say it appears to be unrelated to the Nagaland attacks. (SIGNED)

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