Hyderabad: Old city of Hyderabad is again in the grip of communal riots with clashes between Muslims and Sikhs over a desecration of religious flag.
Incident occurred at Sikh Chowni in Kishanbhag area of Bahadurpura where a religious flag of Sikhisim was blazed last night by some members of muslim community.
Locals informed that the issue was resolved last night and things were brought to normalcy after some heated arguments between both communities. But in the wee hours of morning Sikh youths armed with swords started assembling at the spot even as deployed police officers remained mum. 10 private vehicles were burned down by rioters.
Rapid Action Force and Border Security Force officers which were stationed for election security was immediately called in. Paramilitary forces first fired tear gas shells and then opened indiscriminate firing over Muslim stone-pelters killing one on the spot seriously giving lethal injuries to 20 others; another youth later succumbed to injury in olive hospital.
Sources claim till now four persons have died to bullet injuries, and their dead bodies have been shifted to Gandhi Hospital.
Some of the injured are currently under treatment in Nanal Nagar Premier hospital, which includes women and children injured in clashes.
Sec 144 and unofficial curfew have been imposed in Rajender Nagar police station limits with whole of Kishanbhag getting barricade by RPF personnel. Cyberabad Police commissioner C.V. Anand visited the spot and organized paramilitary and police picketing at sensitive spots in the area.
Huge police containment has been deployed in many sensitive parts of Hyderabad with rumours spreading thick and fast in the city. Suburbs of Hyderabad including Rajendernagar and Attapur are reportedly tense.
All the commercial centers in old City has been close down, many people were seen returning back to their homes as rumors about clashes in different parts of city were spread.
State which is currently under president rule is struggling to maintain law and order in the capital, Governor E.S.L Narsimhan who is also a former IPS officer is currently holding a review meeting with top police officers.
