Curfew has been imposed in Azadnagar and nearby areas of Maharashtra’s Dhule district after a small fight between two men from different communities, over a trivial issue, ended up with hundreds of people from the two communities rioting in the streets for hours on Sunday.
The police had to open fire, leading to the death of two persons. Over 100 locals and over 70 policemen were injured in the rioting. No women were hurt, the police claimed.
The Azadnagar police said the riots erupted around 3 pm after two persons eating lunch at a hotel on the Chaini road fought. The two got more men from their respective communities and the numbers escalated.
“The riots were seen in many areas of Machibazaar and Pala Bazaar. The communities burnt vehicles, threw fireballs on houses, hurled stones and glass bottles at each other and at the police. We used teargas, water cannon and rubber bullets, but when the situation could not be controlled, we opened fire. Around six persons were injured in the firing, including two who succumbed to their injuries,” said a police source.
“The riots were finally brought under control around 7 pm,” said Azadnagar senior police inspector Deepak Koli.