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Curfew imposed in Nanded town of Maharashtra

Curfew was imposed in Nanded on Wednesday night following a fresh outbreak of violence in the old city area in which unidentified assailants stabbed four persons even as tension prevailed in the wake of an attack on a Ganesh immersion procession and subsequent rioting and police firing the previous day.

The dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed from 1900 IST in the old city area, which was the scene of rioting and violence, while the other parts of the city were brought under curfew from 2200 onwards, police said.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who visited the city, said curfew would be relaxed after reviewing the situation on Thursday.

Bhujbal said a magisterial inquiry would be conducted to probe the cause of the riots and the guilty would be punished. He also announced an interim relief of Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 to those injured in the clashes.

In all 59 persons were injured, four in police firing, after a Ganesh immersion procession was pelted with stones from a place of worship. There were four cases of stabbing on Wednesday in which four villagers were injured.

Bhujbal told reporters that an additional force of three companies and two platoons of the State Reserve Police and two companies of the Central Reserve Police Force had been deployed in the city.

He said 24 persons had been arrested for rioting and appealed to the people to help the government keep the peace.

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