Curfew was clamped on Parbhani, a town in central Maharashtra, after 25 persons were injured in a bomb attack while offering their Friday prayers. ‘‘Two miscreants came on a motorcycle and hurled crude bombs at the crowd, injuring at least 25 persons,’’ Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal told mediapersons here today. Of the injured, two are in a critical state, he added. The injured have been admitted to a civil hospital.The town, which has a long history of communal tension, reacted violently after the incident. Special Inspector-General of Police (Nanded Range) Bhimrao Raut said soon after the explosion, which occurred at 1.50 pm, an angry mob set two shops on fire and ransacked market places. Curfew was clamped and additional police forces were rushed from adjoining areas to keep the situation under control, Bhujbal said.The injured were offering namaz at a mosque around 2.30 pm when the incident took place. The number of injured was high since they had assembled at the mosque. Divisional police officials rushed to the town and launched a hunt to nab the culprits.
