Author:
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: March 31, 2002
Four persons were killed, three
of them in police firing, and about 15 others were injured when riots broke
out in the communally sensitive city of Akola on Saturday. Six of the injured
are stated to be in critical condition.
The provocation was reportedly the
throwing of colour at a mosque in the old city area on Friday by some miscreants,
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pankaj Gupta told The Indian Express
on phone.
Matters came to a head between the
two communities on Friday evening, but the police intervened in time to
prevent the situation from turning worse. Two persons were taken into custody
in connection with the colour-throwing incident, Gupta said.
Tension rose again on Saturday afternoon
after namaaz when the police were making some arrests in the Pola Chowk
area of the city. Soon the two sides began throwing stones at each other.
Several incidents of stabbings and arson were reported over a period of
about two hours across a number of adjoining localities.
The identity of the deceased couldn't
be established.
