More protests over Ayodhya attack

Police are on high alert across India

Hindu nationalists are continuing to protest against Tuesday's attack on a bitterly disputed religious site in the northern town of Ayodhya.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has criticised the protests, saying they were being used to score "cheap political points".

But opposition leader LK Advani has said people had a right to "express their anger over the attack".

Police are on high alert across India to prevent religious unrest.

On Thursday, Hindu nationalists protested in several Indian cities, reports say.

No group has claimed Tuesday's attack on the Ayodhya holy complex. One gunman blew himself up and police killed the others in a two-hour gun battle.

If (such incidents) get repeated, they have the potential to disrupt the peace process Manmohan Singh In pictures: Ayodhya protests Advani faces Ayodhya trial

A police official told the BBC that the bodies of the attackers were buried in a Muslim cemetery in the nearby town of Faizabad.

He said that the five suspected attackers had been identified as Muslims, but it is still not clear which group they belonged to.

Peace warning

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters that the BJP was trying to score "cheap political points" by using the attack on the Ayodhya complex in the absence of any "real issues".

But he warned that such attacks, if repeated, could affect peace with Pakistan.

"I have always maintained that we need to carry public opinion to make a success of the peace process," the prime minister said on Wednesday.

The destruction of the Babri mosque sparked nationwide riots

"Anything that comes in the way of public opinion, and certainly these incidents, if they get repeated, have the potential to disrupt the peace process

Hindu activists blame Islamic militants who they say were supported by Pakistan for Tuesday's attack. The authorities have yet to say who they suspect the gunmen were, although the government has called them "terrorists".

Pakistan has denied any role in the raid and India says the incident should not affect talks with its neighbour.

In 1992 Hindu nationalists tore down the Babri mosque in Ayodhya in northern Uttar Pradesh state, sparking Hindu-Muslim riots in which at least 2,000 people were killed.

Hindu hardliners say the mosque was built on a temple to the Hindu god Ram. The site is now one of the most heavily guarded in the country.

Mr Advani is one of a number of Hindu leaders accused of inciting the mob which destroyed the mosque.

On Wednesday, the High Court in Allahabad ruled he should stand trial for his alleged role in the violence. A lower court had earlier exonerated him.