Indian bombings fit pattern of efforts to foment interreligious strife

New Delhi - Seven synchronized bombs exploded in the picturesque city of Jaipur Tuesday evening, killing more than 80 people and wounding more than 200. The bombs, the deadliest such attacks in India in nearly two years, appear to fit into an emerging pattern in India, in which bomb explosions occur every few months and are attributed to Islamic terrorists.

The government issued a national security alert and imposed a curfew in Jaipur, capital of the western desert state of Rajasthan.

Hours after the explosions, observers and officials speculated that those responsible wanted to undermine a peace process between India and Pakistan and to foment communal tensions.