Independence Day parade bomb kills 15 in India

A BOMB exploded during an Independence Day parade in India's remote northeast yesterday killing at least 15 people, including schoolchildren.

Another 17 were injured, in the separatist region of Kashmir, in a rocket attack during a celebration at a school. The attacks came as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to fight terrorism during a speech at New Delhi's 17th century Red Fort, a tradition followed by each prime minister since India gained independence from two centuries of British colonial rule on August 15, 1947.

The powerful bomb went off on the grounds of a local college in Dhemaji, where the parade was being held, killing 15 people said local lawmaker Dilip Saikia.