The death of a youth, injured during stone-throwing, on Wednesday morning sparked fresh violence in the riot-affected Shahpur and its surrounding areas of the old Ahmedabad city.
A large number of people from Shahpur, Nagoriwad, Mirzapur and Delhi Darwaja areas joined the youth's funeral procession in the afternoon, causing fresh disturbances, the police said.
Enraged people attacked a person riding a two-wheeler. In retaliation, two employees at the local court were attacked with knives in a Mirzapur locality.
At least two motorcycles and several shops were torched by rival mobs, forcing the police to burst a dozen teargas shells and lathi charge the mobs.
Most shops on Relief Road, Mirzapur, Shahpur and neighbouring localities remained closed as rival groups resorted to stone-throwing.
The disturbances began on Monday night, when two groups quarrelled over a marriage party with blaring loudspeakers passing near a religious place. Those offering prayers objected to the use of loudspeakers resulting in a scuffle. As information spread, people from both communities came out in large numbers and indulged in stone-throwing.
Director-General of Police S.S. Khandwawala has appealed to the people in the affected areas to maintain peace. Father Cedric Prakash, director of Prashant, a voluntary organisation working for human rights, justice and peace, said the Shahpur incident was a “hard reminder” of the simmering tension between the two communities, which could erupt on flimsy grounds.
He appealed to the people to maintain peace and urged the police authorities to take stringent actions against the culprits fanning such communal disturbances.
