Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

Three injured in stone-pelting

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD DEC. 10. Three persons were injured in stone-pelting in the `Sabzi Mandi' at Kulsumpura, Tallagadda and Jirra in Asifnagar and near the vegetable market in Karwan, all in West Zone, late on Wednesday evening. It was said that trouble broke out due to different communities believing rumours that each was gathering to attack the other.

Police rushed to the places and forced people indoors and later prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code were clamped in the limits of four police stations - Mangalhat, Kulsumpura, Tappachabutra and Asifnagar.

Trouble started at about 9.30 p.m. with rumours making people of different communities come out fearing trouble. On sighting each other, they started pelting stones. The police arrived soon in strength and asked people to go back to their homes, assuring then that they would ensure peace.

The DCP, West Zone, N. Sanjay, said he had conducted two peace meetings in Golconda and holding yet another meeting at Mangalhat, was leaving the place for Kulsumpura, when he was told that people were moving near the `Sabzi Mandi' with what looked like swords in their hands. On reaching the scene, he found a person carrying a stick and chased him, only to find the troublemaker mingling with the crowd in the vegetable market.

Mr. Sanjay said police presence had been increased in the said areas, apart from intensifying patrolling. In the past two days, he said he had been going around the entire zone, conducting meetings of community elders and forming `Mohalla committees' in eight places. The committees were being formed to help the police in patrolling trouble-prone areas and stop people from acting hastily, after being taken in by rumours, he said.

CP's plea to media

At a press conference earlier on Wednesday, the Commissioner of Police, R.P. Singh, said the situation was being reviewed from time to time and curfew was being relaxed in phases since Tuesday.

He dismissed reports that there was a stone-pelting incident in Shivajinagar under Chatrinaka police limits and that personnel of the Rapid Action Force had dispersed the mob. `There was no such incident'.

He appealed to the media to not write speculative reports. At a press conference, he said curfew had been relaxed between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday and would be relaxed from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday.

He said five persons had died in the violence - two due to firing and three due to stabbing.

40 taken into custody

Forty persons have been taken into custody for questioning in connection with the communal riots and were released after being enquired about their complicity in the offences, the Commissioner of Police said here on Wednesday.

While asserting that the police would get the culprits responsible for the violence, he appealed to the people not to believe in any rumours. "Ninety-nine per cent of the rumours have been found to be false.

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