3 Burned to Death in Muslim-Hindu Violence in India
Three people were burned to death Sunday in the fifth straight day of Muslim-Hindu rioting in this capital city of Gujarat state, and a man was fatally stabbed in nearby Baroda, police reported.
Authorities said the death toll rose to 45 in Ahmedabad and to 49 in other areas of the western state. More than 250 people have been injured and 500 arrested since the fighting began Wednesday.
About 700 members of the federal Border Security Force were airlifted to Ahmedabad, United News of India reported, and the army was put on alert but not deployed. The Gujarat government ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence, which started when Muslims attacked a Hindu religious procession.
Police said three people were seized and burned to death in Ahmedabad, but they did not identify the victims or attackers by religion or give further details.
But workers at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital said about 50 Hindus attacked two Muslims who were visiting a patient. The two were set ablaze and their bodies thrown out of a third-floor window, according to the workers.
United News of India said the two Muslims had stabbed a man earlier and were chased into the hospital.
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