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10 Hurt in Bomb Blasts at Hindu Temple in Northern Bangladesh


FILE - Visitors at Kantajir Mandir, one of Bangladesh's oldest Hindu temples, examine thousands of clay idols and historic images on the temple's walls. Photo taken July 1995. Ten people were hurt in bomb blasts at the temple, Dec. 5, 2015.
FILE - Visitors at Kantajir Mandir, one of Bangladesh's oldest Hindu temples, examine thousands of clay idols and historic images on the temple's walls. Photo taken July 1995. Ten people were hurt in bomb blasts at the temple, Dec. 5, 2015.

Unidentified attackers hurled three homemade bombs on the premises of a Hindu temple in northern Bangladesh during a drama performance early Saturday, injuring 10 people, police said.

The incident occurred while an open-air performance was being staged outside the Kantajir temple during an annual fair in Dinajpur district, said Ruhul Amin, the local police chief.

In recent months, Bangladesh has experienced a series of attacks on secular bloggers, foreigners and minority groups amid concerns that religious extremism is on the rise in the Muslim-majority country.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack. Police have detained six men for questioning in connection with the blasts, Amin said.

Six of the injured were being treated at a nearby hospital. Four others sustained less serious injuries.

Mizanur Rahman, another senior police official, said investigators were trying to determine the motive for the attack.

Previous attacks this year have been claimed by local Islamist radical groups and the Islamic State group.

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