GUWAHATI, India, Nov 25 (AFP) - Separatist rebels in India's insurgency-hit northeast blew up an oil pipeline and injured at least five soldiers Thursday in a string of explosions, police said.
The attacks in Assam came on the heels of a burst of deadly rebel violence in the state last month and followed a visit earlier this week by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The rebels blew up a crude oil pipeline belonging to India's state-owned Oil India Ltd. in the Lankachi area in eastern Assam state.
In another attack, rebels injured at least five soldiers when they hurled a grenade at an army vehicle in Dibrugarh city, 500 kilometers (300 miles) east of Assam's main city of Guwahati.
"At least five soldiers were wounded, the condition of some is critical," Assam Inspector General of Police Khagen Sharma told AFP, adding authorities were braced for more violence.
No group claimed responsibility but Sharma blamed the attacks on the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) which has been fighting since 1979 for an independent Assamese homeland.
The blasts came ahead of ULFA's annual protest day on Sunday which will also mark the 10th anniversary of a huge army crackdown on ULFA forces.
"We're expecting more attacks ahead of the protest day," Sharma said.
Rebels also hurled a grenade at a police station in the eastern district of North Lakhimpur but missed their target and no one was hurt.
No further details were immediately available.
Last month, Assam was shaken by a string of attacks that killed 53 people and injured 150 for which both ULFA and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, which wants a separate homeland for Bodo tribes, claimed responsibility. The Bodoland group now is observing a truce.
At the same time, 28 died and 90 were hurt in neighbouring Nagaland state in three bomb blasts. Nobody has claimed responsibility for those attacks.
Rebel outfits in the remote region accuse New Delhi of plundering its resources such as oil, tea and timber while neglecting its development.
Thursday's blasts came hours after the announcement of a 92 billion rupee economic development package for Assam approved by New Delhi. Assam is the northeast's most populous state with 26 million people.
During his visit, Singh ruled out discussion of independence, saying the state was an "integral part" of India and urged militants to abandon arms if they wanted to resolve the region's problems. He said New Delhi's door was "always open for negotiation" with any group shunning violence.
ULFA has demanded independence be the core issue in any peace talks.
The northeast has over 200 ethnic and tribal groups and dozens of rebel outfits with causes ranging from calls for autonomy to independence.
Over 50,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in the northeast since India's independence from Britain in 1947.
11/25/2004 15:16 GMT - AFP