Curfew imposed after Hindu-Muslim clash in central India leaves 45 injured
21 Aug. 2013: Authorities have imposed a 24-hour curfew in parts of Indore, central
India, after the discovery of a dead cow prompted rioting between Hindus and Muslims
on Tuesday that left more than 45 people injured. Police fired tear gas and charged
rival mobs with batons in the communally-sensitive Chandan Nagar area of the city,
as rioters torched vehicles. Unconfirmed reports said that people in the crowd were
firing shots which hit a police constable, one of eight people who were admitted to
hospital. One person was in critical condition. At least 70 people were arrested on
Tuesday, police said, and large quantities of explosives were later found during searches
in the area. The incident was reportedly sparked after a dead cow β sacred among
Hindus β was found outside a temple on the day of the Hindu festival Raksha Bandhan.
District head Akash Tripathi said the situation was under control on Wednesday amid
a large scale search operation to curb rioters. Ajay Singh, local leader of the
Congress party, which is in opposition in Madhya Pradesh, accused the BJP of stirring
up pro-Hindu sentiments as it bids to hold on to power in November elections. In
response, BJP state spokesman Deepak Vijayvargiya said that his party would contest
the election based on its governance record as he welcomed an independent investigation
into the riots. βThe truth will come out after a thorough inquiry of the incident
and it will be proved whether Congress is behind it,β he said.