Mumbai: The Mulund area of Mumbai continued to be on the boil Saturday as special forces were rushed in to quell protests by thousands of Sikhs over the killing of a community member by the bodyguards of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh the previous day.

Sikhs blocked railway tracks, damaged a station and observed a shutdown in parts of Mumbai, vowing to continue carry out protests until the culprits were brought to book.

The protesting Sikhs had called for a truce following Deputy Chief minister R.R. Patil's announcement to convene a high-level meeting in the evening to resolve the issue.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has also appealed to the Sikh community to maintain calm and refrain from violence. He has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs.200,000 to the family of the victim.

But following an altercation with the police, some Sikhs smashed vehicles and vandalised public property in Mulund in northeast Mumbai. The elite Rapid Action Force (RAF) was sent in to assist police to maintain peace.

Source : IANS