At Least 13 Killed in India Bombings

A series of bomb blasts across northern India killed 13 people and wounded at least 50 others Saturday, while widespread fighting between police and Muslims in the northern Kashmir Valley left some 200 people injured, officials said.

There was no official confirmation that the bombings were related. The most extreme bombings occurred in the heart of the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, where police said two powerful explosions in bustling marketplaces left 10 dead and about 50 wounded. Police said no one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Punjab has been the scene of numerous bombings by Sikh radicals advocating the northern state secede.

The Press Trust of India reported that three people died in another bomb blast in Chuddapur, in northern Andhra Pradesh state, but it gave scant details.

Most of the bloodshed in recent weeks has been ignited by issues involving upcoming parliamentary elections.

Elsewhere, five bombings rocked Muslim areas of northern Jammu and Kashmir state in demonstrations staged by the Islamic Students League over a school textbook carrying a picture of the Prophet Mohammed.