PUNE: The death toll in the communal riots in Dhule district in northern Maharashtra has risen to 11 after three persons succumbed to injuries on Wednesday night. Communal rights erupted in Dhule on Sunday after Eid and Hindu festival posters and banners were allegedly torn by some members of the Hindu and Muslim community.
According to police sources, more than 190 people have been injured in the riots, and as of yesterday, police have arrested 260 people from both the communities on different charges.
A senior police official told Arab News that the city was limping back to normal, and in view of this, curfew was relaxed for two hours yesterday morning to allow people to buy necessary supplies. As Hindus were observing a major festival of Dussehra yesterday, they also took the opportunity of the relaxation of curfew to go for worship at the temples.
Curfew was clamped again after the relaxation period for the fifth day, as a preventive measure to avoid any fresh incidents of riots in view of the Hindu festival.
State Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, deputy chief minister R.R. Patil, federal Minister for Home Jaiprakash Jaiswal, Shiv Sena leader, who is also the leader of the opposition, Ramdas Kadam, and the chairman of the Maharashtra Minorities Commission Naseem Siddiqui also visited the riot-affected areas.
Deshmukh announced an aid of rupees five lakhs to the kin of those killed, rupees 50,000 to the seriously injured and rupees 25,000 to people with minor injuries. Deshmukh said that those found guilty will not be spared. The government would take stern action against them, he said.
Federal Minister for Home Jaiprakash Jaiswal said that those involved in engineering the riots should also be punished. Kadam and BJP leader Eknath Khadse demanded an judicial inquiry into the riots. “The appeasement of Muslims should be stopped by the Congress and its ally the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP),” they said at a press conference on Wednesday in Nashik after touring Dhule.
Siddiqui said in Dhule on Wednesday evening that the Hindu-Muslim riots were preplanned keeping an eye on the forthcoming elections to the state assembly and Parliament. Siddiqui also demanded a judicial inquiry into the riots.
More than 6,000 riot-affected people from both the communities were put up in special camps.
