Thousands of Indian troops deployed after clashes

Thousands of troops have been dispatched to restore peace in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state where 30 people were killed in communal clashes, police said on Monday.

Authorities declared a high-security alert following the violence triggered over the weekend during which mobs burned houses and a mosque in the state.

Hundreds of troops were already patrolling in riot-hit areas as villagers crowded police stations seeking safety in Muzaffarnagar, 105km northeast of New Delhi, television footage showed.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the violence and promised "all required assistance" to the state government for "tackling the situation".

"The number of those dead has risen to 30, we have also arrested 120 people," police spokesman Nityanand Rai told AFP by telephone, updating the previous toll of 28 after two men were killed in separate attacks on Monday.

Rai said contingents of army, riot police and federal troopers had been deployed in several districts including in worst-hit Muzaffarnagar.

"The deployments in other places are a precaution against violence from spreading in the state. The situation is tense but calm," Rai said.

Junior Home Minister R.P.N. Singh said 5,000 extra paramilitary personnel were being rushed to violence-hit areas of the state.

A journalist for the local IBN7 television network and a police photographer were among those killed in the violence, the most serious in recent years.

The latest violence has triggered speculation that political parties are seeking to polarise the state along religious lines ahead of general elections due next year.

A video posted online appearing to show two men being lynched by a mob seems to have aggravated tensions although police said it was faked.

The clashes erupted late Saturday after thousands of farmers held a meeting to demand justice over the killing of three men who had protested when a woman was allegedly harassed.

The farmers were attacked as they were returning home, triggering an angry backlash, a senior police officer said.

Clashes then broke out in neighbouring villages and the army stepped in to try to control the situation.

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad accused the state government of failing to act in time to check the violence.

"The state government has failed miserably in maintaining communal harmony," Prasad told reporters in New Delhi.

The national government has warned that India is witnessing a rise in communal violence, and that there could be further such incidents in the run-up to polls.

"Communal violence incidents have increased since last year. While 410 incidents occurred in the country last year, this year, till now, 451 incidents have taken place," federal Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.



 

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