The Hindu : Front Page : 36 injured in Hyderabad violence

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Monday, Mar 29, 2010
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36 injured in Hyderabad violence

Staff Reporter

14 vehicles damaged; teargas shells fired at Shamsheergunj to control mobs

Caught in crossfire: An elderly person who sustained a head injury in the stone pelting by two groups at Siddiamber Bazar in the old city of Hyderabad on Sunday being carried away by security personnel.

HYDERABAD: Violence broke out in several parts of the old city, leaving 36 persons injured and 14 vehicles damaged on Sunday. Tension escalated as incidents of stone pelting and attacks on passersby on the roads were reported in many areas even as police forces tried to quell the trouble.

Saturday night's simmering tension over a clash between two communities for putting up flags at a religious place in Moosabowli spread to other areas in the old city on Sunday. Police fired teargas shells at Shamsheergunj to control rampaging mobs.

70 taken into custody

City Police Commissioner A.K. Khan told reporters later that the violence was pre-planned and well organised. Seventy persons were also taken into custody.

Additional police forces, including Quick Reaction Teams, Andhra Pradesh Special Police and Rapid Action Forces were deployed in the sensitive areas, he said. The injured were treated as out-patients at Osmania General Hospital. Earlier in the day, mobs set afire a shop and two wheelers at Gowliguda Kaman. A cowshed was also torched at Shamsheergunj. Panic gripped old city residents following rumours of communal clashes and places of worship being attacked spread through SMSes.

As tension escalated, shopkeepers in commercial areas of Siddiamber Bazar, Begum Bazar, Gowliguda, Afzalgunj and M.J Market rolled down the shutters. Small gangs armed with sticks moved around menacingly in some lanes beating up whoever they came across. Equipment of a daily's photographer too was smashed in the melee. A shop and some vehicles were selectively targeted and burnt by mobs at Gowliguda, eyewitnesses said.

The situation turned tense at Siddiamber Bazar when miscreants hurled stones at a religious structure. A vain bid was made to torch a petrol pump near Central Library at Afzalgunj. There were reports of some places of worship targeted at Kandikalgate, Afzalgunj, Shamsheergunj and Enginebowli.

CM reviews situation

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah asked the police officials to ensure that there were no further untoward incidents in the twin cities ahead of Hanuman Jayanthi scheduled in the next two days.

Soon after returning from his tour of Krishna district, Mr. Rosaiah held a high level meeting of senior police officials. The meeting attended by Home Minister P.Sabitha Indra Reddy, DGP R. R. Girish Kumar, Police Commissioner A. K. Khan, IG (Intelligence) M. Mahender Reddy saw Mr. Rosaiah making it clear that there should be no compromise in maintaining law and order in the old city.

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