GUWAHATI, India, May 6 (Reuters) - A bomb hidden in a motorcycle exploded in a crowded market in India's insurgency-torn northeast state of Assam on Sunday, wounding 15 people, police said.

Police officers said they suspected rebels of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) were behind the attack, which took place in the Fancy Bazar area of Assam's main city, Guwahati.

"The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle parked by the side of the footpath," said Rajen Singh, a senior police officer. "Two of the injured are in critical condition."

Witnesses said local traders helped take the wounded to a nearby hospital. Several vehicles were damaged by the blast.

The ULFA says it is fighting for the independence of Assam, which is rich in oil, natural gas and tea. The group accuses New Delhi of taking away its mineral and forest resources while neglecting the welfare of the local population.

More than 20,000 people have been killed since the insurgency began in 1979.

The state is home to 26 million people, the majority of them ethnic Assamese.

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