Ahmedabad: Hansot town in Gujarat's southern Bharuch district was tense after three people died and 10 others were injured in clashes between two communities in a village nearby on Wednesday.
Armed personnel of the State Reserve Police were sent to Hansot to quell clashes that began after a boy, who belongs to a minority community, was beaten up by a man for chasing kites being flown in Ambeta village during the Makarsankranti festival.
The clashes soon spread to Hansot and police fired rounds of teargas shells to disperse mobs which had attacked religious places and shops. One person died in Ambeta and two at a hospital in Surat during treatment. Ten persons were being treated at hospitals in Hansot, Bharuch and Surat.
"The situation is now under control as we have called in extra force. We are keeping a close watch," said Bharuch superintendent of police Bipin Ahire on Wednesday. "People pelted stones. We also learnt that some shops were burnt down," he said.
