One killed as police fire at rioters in Bangalore
Source: Reuters
(Updates with death and injuries) BANGALORE, India, Jan 21 (Reuters) - One person was killed and four were wounded on Sunday when police fired on clashing mobs of Hindus and Muslims in Bangalore, India's southerly technology hub, police and witnesses said. The clash occurred in the city centre after Hindu mobs went on a rampage, burning shops and vehicles owned by Muslims. Additional commissioner of police Bipin Gopalkrishna said police had been forced to open fire to break up the clashes. He said one person had been killed and four wounded. A policeman was also stabbed by the rioters and taken to a hospital, a junior police officer said. The violence occurred as activists moved through the city to join a rally organised by the right-wing Hindu fundamentalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS -- National Volunteer Corps). On Friday, thousands of Muslim demonstrators protesting against last month's execution of Saddam Hussein in Iraq clashed with police and destroyed shops and cars in the city. Bangalore is home to about 1,500 global and Indian IT firms. Their operations were not affected by the violence as they are located on the city outskirts. Police used teargas and batons to disperse the crowds. Prohibition orders preventing people from moving about in groups of four or more were issued in central Bangalore. More than 2,000 police officers patrolled the affected areas as mobs targeted Muslim shops and vehicles, forcing the closure of some businesses, witnesses said. City police chief N. Achuta Rao said there had been some arrests but did not give a number. The Indian state of Karnataka, of which Bangalore is the capital, is ruled by a coalition of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and a regional party.
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