COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – A grenade exploded at a concert of Indian movie stars and entertainers in Sri Lanka's (search) capital Saturday, killing at least two people and injuring 15, officials said.
Military spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayake said the grenade was thrown at the crowd as the three-hour show was nearing its end. A man identified as a journalist for a local newspapers and a woman were killed, he said.
"Two persons were dead," Press Trust of India said adding "there were another 12 injured admitted (to hospital). ... All have shrapnel injuries caused by hand grenade or a hand bomb."
The Indian entertainers were unhurt, officials said. The show, titled "Temptation 2004," featured Indian stars Shahrukh Khan (search), Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, Priyanka Chopra (search), Javed Khan and Celina Jaitly.
Earlier, police used tear gas to break up a protest by about 200 Buddhists who tried to prevent the concert, held a day before the anniversary of the death of a leading Buddhist cleric.
Sunday is the first anniversary of the death of Gangodawila Soma — a popular preacher who campaigned against conversions of Buddhists by Christians. Monks are a powerful political force in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka.
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