Christmas Attacks In India Kill 2

(AP)  Two rocket attacks marred Christmas celebrations in a northeastern Indian city Wednesday, leaving two people dead and 20 others wounded, police said.

The two rockets, fired in the span of 10 minutes, were aimed at a crowded market in Gauhati city, capital of northeastern Assam state, police said.

The first rocket fell on a cluster of houses of railroad employees, killing a woman and a child, Inspector General of Police Khagen Sharma said.

The second rocket hit two cars on a busy street of the Ambari market area, wounding at least 17 people, including those inside the cars.

Two of the people wounded in the second attack were in critical condition, Sharma said. One of them was a former member of the Indian parliament, he said.

The attacks in Gauhati came after a gang armed with crude bombs attacked a packed church on Christmas Eve in the neighboring state of West Bengal, wounding six people. The assailants grabbed valuables from hundreds in the congregation and raided a church safe before fleeing. Police said robbery appeared to be the sole motive in that attack.

Police declined to comment on whether Wednesday's rocket attacks were linked to Christmas celebrations, but Sharma said there were big crowds out on the street at the time of the attack.

In mostly Hindu India, it is common for many Hindus to go shopping, visit restaurants and theaters, and hold festivities on Christmas Day.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Separatist guerrillas have been usual suspects for such attacks in the past, but Sharma said he was not sure if they were behind Wednesday's attacks.

Rebels of the United Liberation Front of Asom have been fighting for more than a decade for an independent homeland in Assam state.

They accuse the federal government of excluding local residents from the benefits of the state's rich mineral and forest resources.

Earlier this year, police in Assam had it had intelligence reports suggesting Islamic insurgents could trigger attacks during a Hindu festival in October.

By Wasbir Hussain