Four towns in western India are under curfew and over 1,500 people were arrested as authorities sought to avert more violence after riots by low-caste Hindus claimed four lives. Rampaging low-caste Hindu mobs, angered by damage to a statue of their leader, set two passenger trains on fire Thursday after asking passengers to alight, damaged more than 100 state-run buses and clashed with police in several cities and towns of Maharashtra state. Police put the number of people injured at 60 but ambulance personnel and volunteers said more than 150 were injured in the rioting. "We arrested 1,500 people (Thursday) for the violence. Some were caught red-handed rioting while others were arrested as a preventive measure," state police chief P.S. Pasricha said.
The curfew was imposed late Thursday in four towns in Maharashtra state of which India's financial hub, Mumbai, is the capital. There were no reports of violence Friday and police said they would consider lifting the curfew later in the day.
Police arrested the man who allegedly damaged the statue of the late B.R. Ambedkar -- a political leader and scholar who fought for the rights of low-caste Hindus -- in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. "We arrested a man called Arun Balmiki. He was drunk when he pelted stones at the statue, breaking an arm and damaging its head. He has confessed to the crime," P.C. Meena, police chief of Kanpur city, told AFP.
The Maharashtra police have also asked the state government to declare a holiday next Wednesday, because it marks the anniversary of Ambedkar's death, to avert any fresh violence. "We are taking precautionary steps to maintain order in Mumbai on December 6, when thousands of Ambedkar's followers will gather in the city for the leader's death anniversary," deputy chief minister Patil said.