Thanks to “offensive” timing (and who knows why else), it’s a tragedy, not a reality show.

At least two people have been killed and 18 others injured in an explosion at a concert by an Indian Bollywood star in Colombo.

Police said a hand-grenade ripped through the front stands as Shahrukh Khan ended his performance on Saturday.

The grenade exploded in the audience’s VIP section, killing a woman and a child. Also injured? 18 show attendees, six of them critically. All of the affected were Sri Lankan.

The show, called Temptation 2004 and featuring a host of Indian film stars, was billed as Sri Lanka’s biggest musical event of the year, with 10,000 people reported to have attended.

Buddhist monks had planned a peaceful protest during the performance, but they called it off after receiving a written apology from Mr Khan about the bad timing of the concert.

What’s all this about timing?

…”We hold the Government responsible for this attack. It is because they did not give adequate security that this happened,” Buddhist monk legislator Omalpe Sobitha, told reporters here.

…“We were also against holding the concert on the eve of religious services to invoke blessing on (popular monk) Gangodawila Soma who passed away a year ago,” Sobitha said.

“But, we were satisfied with an apology by the organisers.”

The monks said they tried to intervene with some protesting monks to get them to call off their agitation yesterday, but accused some extremist political elements opposed to the monks for stirring up trouble.

If incensed monks weren’t behind it, who were? LTTE?

An investigation has been launched but police have ruled out Tamil Tiger involvement.

Two people are dead, 18 others injured. I don’t really care who was behind it; I just hope they’re on the receiving end of some justice.

Beeb: Two die in Colombo concert blast

The Hindu: Lankan monks blame Colombo for bomb blast at Bollywood concert