Protest over Indian school boys' death turns violent

Ahmedabad: A protest over the mysterious death of two boys studying in a school of popular spiritual guru Asaram Bapu turned violent on Friday with angry people attacking media persons and setting fire to vehicles and even homes.

Bapu, who has a huge global following, himself faced irate crowds and barely managed to flee as a mob surrounded his car.

Several parts of Ahmedabad, especially the western area, witnessed violence as people protested the deaths of Dipesh Praful Vaghela and Abhishek Shantilal Vaghela of Class five and six respectively.

The boys went missing on July 4. Their bodies were recovered from Sabarmati river bed the next morning.

Dipesh's father Praful Vaghela has alleged that the two boys were killed and thrown into the river after some religious ritual in the ashram attached to the school.

The police have not searched a cellar in the ashram which is guarded by white-robed men, he alleged, adding that the police were trying to hush up the case.

Protesters attacked buses in many parts of the city and set fire to houses in Shiv Shaktinagar near Motera area of the ashram. Some vehicles were also torched.

The situation turned out of control when members of the ashram came in busloads challenging the protesters. The sporadic violence then turned ugly when they attacked media persons. Many scribes were hurt.

The ashram inmates did not spare a woman TV scribe of Aaj Tak news channel. She was allegedly beaten and her camera and that of some other photographers' broken.