PATNA, 21 September — Communal tension gripped Banka town of the eastern state of Bihar after a dispute between two men — a Hindu and a Muslim — over toll collection at a bus stand triggered violence. Two people were killed in the clashes. The town turned into a fortress early yesterday as hundreds of armed policemen were deployed to prevent the violence that erupted late Thursday from spreading. Police in Banka, about 260 km from here, said tension prevailed in the town following the clashes at the Bhagalpur road bus stand. "A simple clash between two groups got a communal overtone," a senior district official said. According to police, a group of men led by Niranjan Yadav fired gunshots that led to the death of Manzoor, a bus agent. Manzoor’s supporters then attacked Niranjan, leading to the killing of Deepak Sharma, police said.
