Hyderabad, March 8 The situation in Telangana's Bhainsa town remained tense on Monday after overnight clashes between members of two communities.
Three persons were injured and two houses were set on fire in the town of Nirmal district, about 260 km from Hyderabad.
Trouble broke after an argument between members of two communities in Zulfekar lane. The groups pelted stones on each other and some miscreants torched two houses.
Police said additional forces were deployed in the town to prevent further violence. A police officer said the situation was now under peaceful.
About 600 policemen were deployed in the communally sensitive town to prevent any further flare-up. Some suspects were picked up in connection with the clashes.
Adilabad Superintendent of Police Vishnu S. Warrier, who holds the additional charge as Nirmal SP, rushed to Bhainsa. He along with some senior police officials were monitoring the situation.
Police also imposed prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons as a precautionary measure. The SP appealed to people to cooperate in maintaining peace.
Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy on Monday condemned the violence in Bhainsa. He said attack on media personnel was disturbing and unfortunate.
Kishan Reddy said he spoke to Telangana Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy and asked him to arrest the culprits at the earliest and deploy additional forces.
The minister said he also spoke to Adilabad MP Soyam Bapu Rao on the issue.
Bhainsa, a major trading centre, has witnessed a series of communal riots in recent years.
The town saw communal violence twice last year
Large scale violence had rocked the town in January last year, leaving scores of people injured. Several houses, shops and vehicles were damaged in the clashes.
Communal clashes also broke out in May after a person in an inebriated condition entered a place of worship and attacked people there. Authorities had to impose curfew to control the situation.
Few people were injured in the violence while several vehicles and houses and shops were damaged.
In 2008, nine people were killed in the riots that broke out during a religious procession. Six of the victims belonged to one family who were burnt alive in the Vatoli village near the town.
( With inputs from IANS )
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