AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI, 8 April — Violence erupted at the Gandhi Ashram here during a peace rally called by NGOs yesterday to defuse tension in this communally cleaved city, eyewitnesses said.

The trouble was apparently sparked off by the presence of activist Medha Patkar, who had led an unsuccessful movement to stop the construction of a dam that the Gujarat government says will bring water to the perennially parched regions of the state.

“Medha Patkar down down” and “Stop this hypocrisy of peace” the protesters chanted as they stormed into the Gandhi Ashram premises.

Patkar’s Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) had attempted to stop the construction of a dam on the Narmada River, contending that it would result in a major ecological disaster. The Supreme Court rejected her plea in December 2000.

The police stood by as mute spectators as the protesters vented their ire. “The police were mute spectators as miscreants attacked TV journalists and others,” an eyewitness said.

“We had barely initiated the meeting when some unidentified people attacked us. The voice of peace was gagged,” lamented social activist Mallika Sarabhai, one of the organizers of the meeting.

“Workers from both the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party attacked us,” said another activist.

Four people were killed and 20 injured as sectarian violence continued Saturday in the state.

In Visnagar town, some 65 km from the principal city of Ahmedabad, an indefinite curfew was clamped after a Muslim was stabbed to death in the Mehsana Chokdi neighborhood Saturday

In the Vatva area of Ahmedabad, two people were killed and several injured in police firing as mobs clashed at a temple. Police reportedly lobbed tear gas before opening fire.

Residents of northern Sabarmati neighborhood witnessed a horrific night Friday as a 5,000 strong mob surrounded the police station there and demanded that some people in police custody be handed over.

One person was killed and several others were injured when the police fired 114 tear gas shells and 22 rounds during a pitched battle. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police M.T. Mehta, residents said the mob was made up of people from outside Sabarmati. “Some people came to the police station believing a group had attacked it.”

He said around 60 people accused of arson and stabbing were brought to the Sabarmati police station around 6.30 p.m., he said.

Trouble started as people gathered near the police station from the Rabindranagar Gandhiwas, Indranagar, Sabarmati Juna Tolnaka and Ramdevnagar neighborhoods.

“The crowd was unrelenting and some people even scaled the boundary walls of the police station,” said a constable.

Though the sudden assault made the police go on the offensive, many residents felt the force had acted irresponsibly. In the ensuing trouble, a young man lost his tongue and suffered severe facial injuries after being hit by a tear gas. Gujarat has been in the throes of sectarian violence since Feb. 27 when a supposedly Muslim mob torched a train killing 58 people.

The incident sparked off widespread violence, mostly targeting Muslims, in which over 800 people died so far.

Meanwhile, hundreds of central police were drafted in yesterday to back up local forces as village elections began in Gujarat amid unrelenting Hindu-Muslim clashes, police said yesterday.

Two companies totaling around 350 men of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from Faizabad arrived here yesterday and would be deployed in sensitive parts of the city, police said.

“It is an additional reinforcement,” said Police Commissioner P.C. Pandey. “One more company of the CRPF is expected to arrive Monday,” he said.