The Central government on Friday condemned the serial bomb blasts in three court premises in Uttar Pradesh, in which 10 people were killed and several injured, and said that it was aimed at fomenting communal strife in the country.

Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal told media persons in New Delhi that the blasts were the handiwork of terrorists who wanted to divide the country on communal lines. He urged the people to remain united and not allow the nefarious designs of terrorists to be successful.

The serial blasts rocked district courts in Lucknow, Faizabad and Varanasi following which the Uttar Pradesh government has declared a high alert.

Reports from Faizabad said two powerful blasts occurred inside the district court premises.

In Varanasi, the blast occurred at the district court premises but there was no official confirmation on whether anyone had died in the explosion. However, about a dozen people were injured in the incident. At the time of the blast in Varanasi, BJP legilslator Ajay Rai was present in the court premises in connection with a case.