Anti-Muslim riots in India's IT hub continue unabated

HYDERABAD (Agencies) Indian riot police fired rubber bullets and used teargas to disperse Hindu mob during anti-Muslim riots that continued for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday despite imposition of an indefinite curfew in the southern Indian IT hub of Hyderabad. Two people have so far been killed and dozens others injured and 110 people arrested in connection with the clashes, which spread to other parts of the city on Tuesday. The city remained tense due to communal riots, which started on Saturday when a Hindu group replaced Muslim flags with Hindu ones on the streets during a festival. The Muslims had decorated the bazars with flags to celebrate Eid Miladun Nabi in the old city. The riots spread to new areas even as shoot-at-sight orders were issued in the old city and indefinite curfew was imposed in the areas under eight more police stations. The curfew in the riot-hit old city of Hyderabad continued Tuesday without relaxation. All 17 police stations under the south zone were brought under curfew Monday night to control the situation. On Tuesday, clashes broke out when Hindu hardline group Bajrang Dal and other fanatic Hindu organisations held two big public processions to celebrate the birth of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. The first rally was taken out from Gowliguda to Secunderabad while the second from Jumaratbazar to Begumbazar. When the first rally reached Musheerabad and Bholakpur, some Hindu extremists attacked the houses and properties of Muslims, leading to clashes between the two sides. Both sides also pelted stones and attacked each other with sticks. Indian security forces used teargas, resorted to baton-charge and fired into the air to disperse the people. They also fired shots into the air when the second procession was passing through the Begumbazar, where both sides also clashed with each other. Police said sporadic clashes between Hindus and Muslims had been reported from the Aliabad, Lal Darwaza, Gowlipura and Shahalibanda areas of the old city. The city, home to companies such as Microsoft, Google and Mahindra Satyam, has already been hit by months of sporadic unrest over the proposed creation of a separate Indian state, carved out of Andhra Pradesh. Protesters on both sides targeted residential areas and religious sites, throwing stones and causing damage inside to temples and mosques, the witness said. Communal riots spread over the weekend through the Muslim-dominated old city of Hyderabad with crowds pelting stones at each other near the tourist landmark of the Charminar mosque. Five mosques and one Hindu temple were slightly damaged, police said, as shops, buses and cars were set on fire. Hyderabad Police Commissioner AK Khan said Tuesday evening that indefinite curfew would be in force in Afzalgunz, Begumbazar, Shahinathgunz, Tappachaputra, Asifnagar, Mangalhat, Kulsumpura and Habibnagar police stations. He also imposed prohibitory orders banning processions and rallies across this Andhra Pradesh capital after clashes in new areas. Anybody creating trouble during the curfew will be dealt with firmly, Khan told reporters. Andhra Pradesh police chief Girish Kumar told reporters that police were ordered to shoot anyone carrying lethal weapons, stones or sticks in the curfew-bound old city. The order came after fresh incidents of violence that left over 30 people injured. About 2,000 extra security personnel were sent to reinforce the citys police on Tuesday as Hindus marked a festival celebrating the birth of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. Many shops and offices were closed and the streets were quiet as residents stayed indoors. At least 100 suspected rioters have been detained. Police patrolled in large numbers through the citys troubled areas. The curfew will remain in force till the situation is brought to normalcy, said Sabita Indra Reddy, Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

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