 The bombs went off within minutes of each other |
Indian authorities have called a meeting to review security a day after 17 people died in a series of bomb blasts in India's north-east. At least 45 others were injured in the explosions in Assam state.
Three bombs went off within minutes of each other, one of them in a crowded market place in the state commercial capital, Guwahati, on Sunday.
No-one has claimed responsibility for the blasts, but police blame separatist rebels.
A day after the blasts, officials said the death toll had risen to 17.
Correspondents say a sense of panic prevails in Assam and most people in the state fear it is the beginning of a fresh violent campaign by the United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) rebel group.
The federal home ministry has called a meeting of senior officials in the Indian capital, Delhi, to discuss the Assam situation.
And in Guwahati, heads of military and paramilitary troops and police are meeting to discuss how best to deal with the situation.
Most markets in and around the city are closed in response to a protest strike called by a traders' association.
Separatists
The blasts come two months after peace talks between the Indian government and the Ulfa broke down.
The group has been fighting for a separate homeland for Assamese people since 1971 and accuses the government in Delhi of exploiting the state's rich natural resources.
The first explosion took place in a crowded market in Guwahati.
The second blast, which reportedly targeted an oil installation in the outskirts of the city, killed two people.
Religious ceremony
The bombs went off within minutes of each other at about 1840 local time (1340 GMT), police said.
The first device was placed in a tea stall, as scores of people from the Hindi-speaking state of Bihar were gathering for an evening religious ceremony.
The whole area was a mess of mangled flesh and wreckage, correspondents say.
Officials suggested the target of the second bombing was an oil installation on the outskirts of the city, Agence France Presse news agency reported.
A third explosion soon afterwards devastated a temple in the suburbs, but no casualties were reported.
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