NASHIK: Three persons were killed and more than 70 injured in one of the worst communal clashes in Dhule, near here, on Sunday. One person died in police firing to quell the clashes that claimed two lives. Trouble broke out after banners and posters put up for some programmes by both Hindus and Muslims were found torn around mid-day.
Both sides claimed their posters were torn first and this triggered stone pelting in the Manohar cinema area, which soon spread to other parts of the town, where curfew has now been imposed.
There were pitched battles as rival mobs used swords, sticks and stones against each other. Shops in the market were broken open and looted. There were reports of damage to mandirs and masjids.
Anti-social elements had a free run as the police were caught unawares and shorthanded.
Police finally opened fire to control the situation. Sheikh Imran Sheikh Abu, 40,was killed in the firing.
Sixty-two persons have been admitted to Dhule civil hospital. The additional collector M Y Patel has been seriously injured.
Locals say Dhule has been simmering for some time now, with sporadic incidents reported from time to time. Sunday's was the second major flare-up in the city within a month. On the day of Ganapati Pratisthapana, the Moglai area had witnessed an altercation.
Tempers were also running high after a Hindu boy eloped with a Muslim girl in Nardana, 30 km away from Dhule. The blasts in nearby Malegaon had heightened the tension.
In fact the shortage of police personnel is said to be because units had been sent to Malegaon for stepped up patrolling.
On Sunday, the "Hindu Raksha Samiti" was to hold a meeting in the evening and had put up banners decrying terrorism. In the morning, a section of Muslims had organised a programme to felicitate a local leader who had returned from Haj.
So both sides were out on the streets from morning. The altercations began around 11 am and soon spun out of control. Inspector general of police S P Gupta said security reinforcements had been rushed in and that the situation was under control
