Blast in Guwahati city, one injured

GUWAHATI: One person was injured and a vehicle damaged in an explosion in a busy marketplace in Guwahati on Monday, the latest in a string of blasts in Assam.

The explosion took place near the Fancy Bazaar area.

"A person was injured in his face and a parked vehicle was damaged. We are investigating the matter and not sure about the nature of the explosion," a police official said.

On Nov 5, two explosions rocked Guwahati, one at the Fancy Bazaar, killing 15 people and injuring about 40 others.

The state has witnessed a series of explosions in recent weeks - suspected United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) rebels over the weekend blew up oil and gas pipelines disrupting supplies.

On Sunday night, rebels blew up a pipeline of the world's oldest operating Digboi refinery. "It would take us another two days to repair the damaged pipeline," an Indian Oil Corporation official said.

The ULFA rebels have stepped up attacks after New Delhi called off a temporary six-week ceasefire on Sep 24 amid deadlocked peace talks with the group's representatives.