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Wednesday, Aug 18, 2010
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Land row triggers group clash

Staff Reporter

— PHOTO: K. GOPINATHAN

THE DAMAGE:Houses and vehicles were trashed in the clash at Janthagondanahalli in Anekal on Monday night.

Bangalore: Row over land spilled over into a clash between Dalits and Reddys in Janthagondanahalli in Anekal taluk, forcing the police to open fire in the air on Monday night.

Six persons, two of them women, were injured in the rioting.

The Sarjapur police arrested eight men on the charge of damaging five vehicles and four houses.

The injured are Ravikumar, Rajendra, Muniyellappa, his wife, Gowramma, Prameela and her sister Kamalamma, said the police.

Simmering tension

Tension had been brewing between the two communities for years, the police said.

The latest hostility was triggered when a Dalit farmer allegedly constructed a house on land belonging to one Bhaskar Reddy. A month ago, the villagers held a meeting where the Dalit farmer was told to compensate the other man.

On Monday night, Lokesh Reddy, who is said to have a track record in rioting, allegedly organised his henchmen and attacked Dalits, hurling stones on their houses and vehicles, the Sarjapur police said.

As the news spread, Dalits gathered in front of Lokesh's house and shouted slogans against him.

At this, Lokesh and his supporters damaged the signboard of the local Ambedkar Sangha, triggering the clash and the warning shots by the police.

A large posse has been deployed in the village.

Inspector-General of Police (Central Range) Kamal Panth, Superintendent of Police (Bangalore Rural) B.A. Mahesh, Additional Superintendent of Police Subhash Gudimani and Deputy Superintendent of Police Shankarappa visited the village.

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