Indian among two killed in Bahrain blasts

DUBAI: An Indian was among two Asian men who were killed today when five explosions rocked different parts of Bahrain's capital city Manama, as the country grapples with growing political and ethnic unrest.

While two men were killed, another, also an Asian expatriate was critically injured in the explosions this morning described by police as "acts of terror".

India's ambassador to Bahrain Mohan Kumar confirmed to PTI that one of the victims was an Indian named Murugayya who died when he accidentally stepped on an explosive device.

"At five different locations home-made IEDs went off in Bahrain this morning. Unfortunately, an Indian national named Murugayya was one of those killed," Kumar said.

He said the Indian officials were awaiting further details related to the incident.

Earlier, a top police official of Bahrain was quoted as saying by Gulf News that an Asian man had died on the spot when he kicked a bomb, causing it to explode.

According to the Indian ambassador, Murugayya and his brother were walking down the road when he accidentally stepped on to one of those devices.

Indians constitute the largest of the expatriate workforce in Bahrain. Out of nearly 517,000 expatriates, nearly 290,000 are Indian nationals.

Bahrain is in the grip of political and ethnic unrest, ever since protests started in February 2011 to push for greater democracy and more representation to the majority Shia community in the Sunni-ruled country.

At least 60 people, including several police officers, have been killed, since the mass demonstrations began and the opposition activists have alleged widespread abuse and repression.

Last week, the interior ministry announced a ban on all rallies and public gatherings in the country, further exacerbating the discontent.