Shivraj Patil condemns Assam blasts

Home Minister Shivraj Patil condems the serial blasts in Assam that have killed at least 60 people and injured over 100.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Thursday condemned the serial blasts in Assam that have killed at least 60 people and injured over 100, even as he went into an urgent meeting with National Security Advisor MK Narayanan to discuss measures to control the situation.

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Seperately, Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta spoke to Assam's chief secretary, saying the situation was being closely monitored.

The blasts are likey to top the agenda at a pre-scheduled meeting of the cabinet that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to chair at 6 pm on Thursday evening. Manmohan Singh represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha.

At least 30 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a string of explosions in Assam Thursday, including four in the heart of the state's main city of Guwahati, police and eyewitnesses said.

A police spokesman said there were 12 blasts in a span of about an hour beginning 11.20 am - five in Guwahati, three in Barpeta district, three in Kokrajhar district and one in Bongaigaon district, all in western Assam.