Dhaka - Suspected Islamic militants in Bangladesh carried out multiple bomb attacks during carnivals in the north of the country at the weekend, leaving three people dead and scores of others injured, local officials said on Sunday.
Witnesses said more than one powerful explosion went off in the midst of hundreds of spectators watching a popular drama on stage near Bogra city, reportedly a stronghold of Islamic militants, about 340km north of the capital Dhaka.
Local police said the bombs were hurled at the open-air stage, triggering a stampede in the crowded carnival on Saturday.
One person was killed and 40 others were injured in the blast, said district police superintendent Kazi Mortaj Ahmad.
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In another bomb attack, two people were killed and about 50 others injured in the northern town of Natore, about 290km north of Dhaka.
Police suspect the work of Islamic militants behind the explosions in the carnival. The dead and the injured were among the audience at a stage performance.
The carnivals were arranged to celebrate the onset of the rice harvesting season.
Observers said the Islamic militants in the Muslim-majority country have lately targeted cinema halls, theatre shows and concerts for bomb attacks.
None has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but extremist Harkatul Jihad has been blamed for such bombings on cultural targets in the past.
Earlier, Islamic fundamentalist parties in the country called for a ban on cultural shows dubbed by them anti-Islamic. - Sapa-dpa
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