Four people were killed on Monday when mobs of Hindus and Muslims went on a rampage in this western Indian city after authorities demolished a small shrine, police said.
"Two people were killed when police had to open fire to disperse the violent mob. Two others were stabbed in clashes," said Deepak Swarup, police chief of Vadodara city (formerly known as Baroda) in Gujarat. Curfew was imposed in the city as the sectarian riots led to looting, police said. At least 22 other people, including a policeman, were injured by gunfire or bricks hurled by rioters, police said.
The riot was sparked after the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) began to demolish a Muslim dargah, or shrine near a landmark city gate, witnesses said.
"The dargah has been near the Champaneri Gate for centuries. In fact, we believe that the dargah is 300 years old," said Majid Khan, a social activist in Vadodara. "We offered to remove it ourselves and even submitted a written assurance to Mayor Sunil Solanki. But even after all this the VMC officials chose to demolish the dargah, raze it to the ground and build a road over it." Officials said the structure was built on government land.