The Hindu : Three killed in Vadodara clash, police firing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 28, 2004

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National

Three killed in Vadodara clash, police firing

By Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD, FEB. 27. Three persons were killed in police firing and stabbing and five others injured in communal violence in Vadodara even as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad observed the second anniversary of the Godhra train carnage in Gujarat today.

Police said the disturbances arose after stoning on a religious procession in the minority-dominated Babamanpura locality under the Panigate police station late last night. Soon members of two communities started throwing stones at each other. Policemen, who arrived at the scene were also stoned. Police first burst teargas shells and later opened fire killing one person and injuring four others. Even as the crowd dispersed, one person was stabbed to death in the same locality.

Today, one more person was stabbed to death in the afternoon. Another youth was attacked with a sword and was hospitalised. Police claimed that the situation in the evening was tense but under control, while outside the Babamanpura locality life remained normal.

The VHP organised "Ramdhun'' and prayer meetings in Ahmedabad and at different taluka headquarters to pay homage to the "martyrs'' of the train carnage. In Godhra, the prayer meeting was held under tight security cordon at Sheri Bhagol with a large number of women joining it. Tight police bandobust was also maintained in Ahmedabad and other parts of the State in view of the VHP programme but the day passed off peacefully.

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