BIHAR: Authorities deployed hundreds of riot police and cut mobile internet services in parts of eastern India after violent clashes erupted in at least eight states during Hindu religious festival.

Police said one person was shot dead in Nalanda district of Bihar state after majority Hindus and minority Muslims clashed in town of Biharsharif.

This came day after mobs fought running battles and set fire to homes and shops during at times frenzied public celebrations of Ram Navami.

Hindu festivals regularly feature hundreds of people sometimes brandishing swords, guns and tridents provocatively marching through Muslim neighbourhoods with religious music pulsating through powerful sound systems. Biharsharif police Chief Shibli Nomani said nearly 100 people have been detained over violence that erupted when thousands of Hindus rallied on streets and paraded through Muslim-dominated areas. “Situation is under control. We are patrolling area and ensuring no gatherings are allowed,” he told AFP, adding that unrest was being investigated.

Similar communal flare-ups were reported in two other cities in Bihar, where authorities shut mobile internet services in some areas and clamped down on public movement. In Rohtas, another district hit by violence where police arrested dozens, six people were injured in an explosion inside house where two men were allegedly making bomb. Bihar police tweeted that at first glance it did not appear that blast was related to recent unrest.

Published in The Daily National Courier, April, 03 2023

Like Business on Facebook, follow @DailyNCourier on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.