Religious procession sparks off communal violence in Indore

Communal tension flared up in Indore after Hindus and Muslims clashed over the taking out of a religious procession on Friday.

Indore, Oct 13 : Communal tension flared up in Indore after Hindus and Muslims clashed over the taking out of a religious procession on Friday.

Trouble erupted in the Chandannagar area of the city after a group of Muslims staged a protest against a noisy procession being taken out by Hindus on the occasion of Navratra.

Police had to resort to a baton charge and fired teargas shells after the protesters began throwing stones at each other.

"Some people tried to forcibly shut down the shops. This led to tension and there was also stone pelting. Police have cordoned off the area and the situation is under control," said Anshuman Singh Yadav, Indore's Superintendent of Police.

The riot police was called in to bring the situation under control.

Residents,however, blamed the police for acting in haste.

"Police fired tear gas and there was nothing like that before in Chandannagar. The police are at fault. If there was no baton charging, the situation would have remained calm," said Mohammad Javed, a resident.

Another resident said the violence was uncalled for.

"We were taking out a procession of a goddess, and then they (Muslims) started pelting stones at us," said Jagjit Kushwaha, another resident.

ANI