Death toll in religious rioting rises to six

Ahmedabad: The death toll in religious rioting in western India rose to six yesterday with victims dying from wounds suffered in the clashes between two groups and when police fired on mobs to stop the violence, an official said.

Thirty-eight people were arrested after Monday's riot in the town of Vadodara in Gujarat state, which began after authorities tried to demolish a small Muslim shrine, said police commissioner Deepak Swarup.

A total of four people died after being shot by police trying to stop the violence, and two others died from stab wounds sustained during the rioting that broke out when municipal teams reached the site to start the demolition.

The shrine, which was torn down, was destroyed as part of a drive to remove religious structures be they Hindu or Muslim that obstruct the flow of traffic.

Police re-imposed a curfew in four neighbourhoods of the city yesterday morning after sporadic clashes.

Meanwhile, Gujarat's opposition Congress yesterday blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government for the violence in Vadodara that has claimed five lives in two days, and alleged that the demolition of a shrine on Monday was politically motivated.

"Even though a compromise was arrived at by Muslim community leaders and the civic authorities that a portion of the shrine [encroaching on public space] would be removed voluntarily, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation razed it," said Arjun Modhvadia, leader of opposition in the assembly.