M A I N   N E W S

Communal clashes in Varanasi

VARANASI, April 19 (PTI, UNI) — Two persons were injured in a bomb blast in curfew-bound Teliabagh area here today even as the authorities rushed additional forces to maintain law and order after violent clashes between members of two communities that left one person dead and two others, including a policeman, injured last night, official sources said.

Two persons were injured in a fresh bout of violence this morning when miscreants hurled a bomb in curfew-bound Teliabagh area under Chetganj police station.

Indefinite curfew was clamped last night in areas falling under Chetganj, Luxa, Dashmasumer Ghat, Chowk and Bhelupura police stations after clashes between two communities left one person dead and two others injured.

“The district authorities described the situation as “tense” and said intensive patrolling was on to maintain law and order,” the sources said.

All school and colleges have been closed for two days and the ongoing high school and intermediate board examinations postponed in centres falling under the curfew-bound areas.

Meanwhile, security forces took out a flag march in the city including the curfew-bound areas, and senior police and administrative officials reviewed the law and order situation this evening.

The trouble erupted when a group of people belonging to a community attacked the members of other community and stabbed to death one person, identified as Vinod Jain, and injured two others, the sources said. Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Harischchandra Srivastava announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family of Vinod Jain.

Earlier yesterday, the Muslim community had decided not to take out the tazia procession in protest against Monday’s incident of Adampura area where two persons were seriously injured in a bomb explosion and several others injured in heavy brick batting.

They were demanding the release of all persons arrested on Monday.

The district administration has, meanwhile, ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.