Security forces on Monday patrolled a curfew-bound town in Gujarat where a cricket match involving children sparked off a bloody riot a day earlier claiming at least three lives and injuring dozens. The district town of Viramgam, 62 km from Ahmedabad, was calm under the watchful eyes of scores of policemen rushed from other parts of the state to ensure that there was no further violence. Authorities clamped curfew on Sunday after mob clashes over a trivial dispute - a cricket ball apparently smashed by a Muslim boy that landed in the premises of a Hindu temple. "When the players, all of them Muslims, went to the temple to retrieve the ball, they were told to play elsewhere," a police officer told IANS over telephone from Viramgam. "Their refusal to leave led to a heated argument that eventually snowballed into violence," the officer said. Police said this soon led to pitched battles, as Hindus and Muslims pelted each other with stones. One man, apparently a local politician, opened fire from his pistol. It was still not clear how the three people died. About 35 people were injured in the violence. A mob set ablaze around 30 shops belonging to Muslims. The injured are being treated in hospitals in Viramgam and in the predominantly Muslim neighbourhood of Juhapura in south Ahmedabad. Gujarat has witnessed several clashes since last year's prolonged sectarian violence claimed the lives of around 1,000 people. Most victims were Muslims. |