M A I N   N E W S

Curfew in Hyderabad areas after group clashes erupt
Suresh Dharur/TNS

Armed policemen guard a street near Charminar after shops were closed on request by the police following clashes between two groups in Hyderabad on Sunday. — PTI

Hyderabad, April 8
The spectre of communal conflagration returned to haunt Hyderabad today. After a gap of over two years, the police imposed an indefinite curfew in several areas of the sensitive old city following communal violence.

The clashes broke out between two groups after some pieces of meat were found lying on the premises of a place of worship. This triggered trouble with an enraged group of a particular community hitting the streets and going on a rampage.

As rumour-mongers had a field day, tension mounted in the communally sensitive old city. An indefinite curfew was imposed in several areas under Madannapet and Saidabad police station limits following incidents of stabbing and heavy stone-pelting.

“The curfew will be in force till further orders. We have picked up two persons for questioning. We will take stringent action against the miscreants,” the city police commissioner AK Khan said.

The additional police forces were dispatched to the vulnerable areas to bring the situation under control. The Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and Home Minister P Sabita Reddy reviewed the situation with the state Director-General of Police V Dinesh Reddy and other officials.

They directed the police to take all possible security measures to maintain law and order. The trouble started in the morning when people at Kurmaguda noticed pieces of animal meat inside a place of worship. Agitated over this, a mob started pelting stones on shops and buses of the state road transport corporation.

At least 10 shops and 20 buses were damaged in stone pelting. The police used teargas shells and baton-charged the clashing groups. As the violence spread to adjoining Saidabad and Champapet areas and group clashes continued in narrow lanes, the police imposed curfew and sounded an alert across the city. The DGP and the city police commissioner visited the riot-hit areas and appealed to the people not to give credence to rumours. The police also intensified patrolling at the historic Charminar and the surrounding areas as a precautionary measure.

“The situation is now under control. We have posted pickets and preventive measures are in place. We are keeping a close watch on the sensitive areas,” said Khan.

day of Arson

• Shops, 20 buses damaged in stone pelting; teargas shells used to disperse clashing groups
• Clashes broke out between two groups after some pieces of meat were found lying on the premises of a place of worship.
• This triggered trouble with an enraged group of a particular community hitting the streets and going on a rampage.