BANGALORE: The death toll in communal clashes in Karnataka touched 40 Sunday with 2 persons being beaten to death in Kolar on Saturday night, and 4 more succumbing to injuries from Saturday’s police firing in Davangere.

The toll in the Davangere violence where processionists went berserk indulging in large scale violence has reached 12. Some SO persons were injured and many among them were suffering bullet ‘wounds.

Sporadic incidents were reported from the curfew bound towns of Davangere, Channapatna and Kolar, police said here adding that it was mostly on the outskirts of the towns. Where miscreants attempted to set huts and houses on fire.

In Davangere, the situation was still not fully under control and unruly mobs fought pitched battles with the police till early Sunday, reports available here said.

Reports of stray incidents of violence were still coming in despite the presence of a strong police force, and shoot at sight orders in force.

Meanwhile the opposition Congress (I) president, Rajiv Gandhi, visited the trouble torn Channapatna town. He arrived and indicated that the state legislature party would meet on Oct 10 to elect a new chief minister in place of Veerendra Patil, who is convalescing after an illness.

NEW DELHI: Eighteen persons were killed in Bidar dist. in Karnataka as Hindu Muslim violence spread to fresh areas in 3 states and the police opened fire at violent mobs in 3 towns since Oct 5.

In Bhemalkhed village in Bidar district 18 persons including a woman, were burnt alive after 1 person was killed’ in a drunken brawl between 2 men belonging to Hindu and Muslim communities.

The Karnataka govt, after an emergency meeting of the cabinet, issued shoot at sight orders amidst reports of police firing in Kolar and Hoganpur towns of southern Karnataka.

In Baroda 2 persons were stabbed in continuing communal clashes and the police fired 8 rounds to quell violent mobs.

In Mangaon Taluka in Raigad district of Maharashtra the police opened fire, injuring 5 persons to control a crowd indulging in arson and stone throwing.

The day was incident free but tense in the curfew bound town of Karnail Ganj in Gonda district of UP.

BANGALORE: Four persons were admitted to a Bidar hospital with severe burns.

The victims of the mob that razed 40 huts to the ground included 2 women and a girl, police reports said. However, the police said it was not a communal clash. Police reinforcements were rushed to the village and the situation was said to be under control.

According to the police a resident of Bhemalhed was stabbed to death during an altercation with a man of another community. In retaliation, a mob of the victim’s community attacked huts and set them afire.

Severn persons were reported to have been burnt to death in their huts. Most were taken unawares since they were preparing to go to sleep.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka chief minister, Mr Veerendra Patil, held an emergency meeting of his council of ministers and senior civil servants to review the law and order situation in the state especially in many south Karnataka towns which where clashes claimed 5 lives. The police have been issued with shoot at sight orders if rioters and arsonists take to the streets again, Ministers were told to tour the disturbed areas.

BARODA: The 3 hour curfew relaxation earlier announced from 3 p.m. in the Wadi and Panigate areas of the walled city was withdrawn as 2 youths were stabbed in the continuing communal violence, add agencies.

The police said the curfew relaxation was withdrawn after a 19yrold youth was stabbed in the Makarpura area this morning. Last night, another person was stabbed by 3 miscreants in the Kareli Baug area, both the stab victims were admitted to the City’s Sayaji General Hospital.

In the Wadi and Gandhi gate areas of the walled city, where police fired 8 rounds and burst tear gas shells last night to quell a mob of arsonists and looters, the situation was reported to be tense but under control.

The police said the situation ‘was improving and under control in the city and 2 towns of Palanpun in Banaskantha district, where indefinite curfew continued for the third day today and Vijapur in Mehsana district, where curfew was relaxed for 2 hours from 10 am.

Article extracted from this publication >> October 12, 1990