Two persons were killed in police firing and seven others injured in stone-pelting in the Champaner Gate area following a violent protest against the demolition of an 'encroached' dargah in Vadodara. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation had undertaken the demolition on Monday morning. Subsequently, a curfew has been imposed in the area.
Two locals of Yakoutpura, who were part of the protestors, succumbed to bullet injuries after police opened fire to quell the violence and also lobbed tear gas shells, senior police officials told PTI.
The trouble started when the VMC squad started demolishing the 200-year-old dargah and locals of the area began shouting slogans and later attacked officials involved in the demolition, Vadodara city police commissioner Deepak Swarup said.
A policeman hit during the stone pelting was also among the seven injured. "Police have intensified patrolling and clamped curfew in all the sensitive areas and the situation is presently under control," Swarup said.
Police said people of the minority community had requested the authorities and city mayor Sunil Solanki not to demolish the dargah, as it is more than 200 years old and could hurt the feelings of the community. They demanded that the dargah be declared a heritage site.
However, the VMC squad went ahead with its demolition plans as the structure was obstructing traffic, police said.
People from two groups started pelting stones on each other and set on fire four shops, officials said. Police fired at least 10 rounds and lobbed more than 30 tear gas shells to disperse the violent mob.