Agencies
- Twelve-year-old boy shot dead
- Constable Thimmaiah stabbed and severely injured
Bangalore, Jan 21: Hundreds of people burned shops owned by a religious community and set vehicles ablaze here on Sunday, police and witnesses said.
The violence occurred as activists moved through the city to join a rally organized by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh.
On Friday, thousands of demonstrators protesting against last month's execution of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, clashed with police and destroyed shops and cars in the city.
Bangalore is home to about 1,500 global and Indian IT firms. Their operations were not affected by the violence as they are located on the city outskirts.
Police used teargas and batons to disperse the crowds and prohibition orders, restricting movement of four or more people together, were issued in central Bangalore.
More than 2,000 police officers patrolled the affected areas as mobs targeted shops and vehicles, forcing the closure of some businesses, witnesses said.
Police said there were no injuries but witnesses said about five people were wounded in stone-throwing incidents.
“Prohibitory orders will be in force until Tuesday,” city police chief N Achuta Rao said.
He said there had been some arrests but did not give a number.
Karnataka, of which Bangalore is the capital, is ruled by a coalition of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a regional party.
NDTV adds:
A twelve-year-old boy has been killed in Bangalore violence. The boy was reportedly shot and had received three bullet injuries.
The incident took place during violence in central Bangalore's Shivaji Nagar, Indira Nagar and Alsur Lake areas on Sunday.
Reports indicate that mobs set taxis, autos and three buses on fire. A couple of shops were also damaged forcing the police to fire teargas shells.
File pic of Friday's violence
The situation is tense, but under control.
Section 144, or prohibitory orders, have been issued by the police in the area.
The violence appears to be a spillover from the communal tensions two days back.
On Friday, a protest against the execution of Saddam Hussein had turned violent, followed by protests on Saturday against Friday's rioting.