Date:24/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/24/stories/2008042457360100.htm

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2 dead in police firing; curfew in Maharashtra town

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI: Communal violence rocked Chopda, a tehsil town, north Maharashtra, on Tuesday night, leading to curfew and police firing that left two dead. Fifteen persons were injured, including one in police firing. Two groups belonging to different communities attacked each other, pelting stones, soda-water bottles and bricks after a dispute over the playing of a song in a marriage ceremony. The rioters set on fire 10 roadside stalls. Police sources said that over 25 rounds were fired to disperse the mob. The injured were admitted to the district civil hospital at Jalgaon. The police imposed curfew till 6 p.m. Shiv Sena member Gulab Patil raised the issue in the Assembly. Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, who holds the Home portfolio, ordered a CID inquiry. He also announced ex gratia payment of Rs. 1 lakh to the next of kin of the dead.