NEW DELHI: Army was ordered to shoot-at-sight in Calcutta and Kanpur police opened fire at four places in Bombay and wide-spread clashes hit Ghaziabad near there as violence kindled by the Ayodhya incident escalated on Dec.10 claiming 170 lives and hiking the toll to 950.
A violent mob stopped a train at Udhna near Surat pulled out 14 passengers and killed them on Thursday morning.
However in some other parts of the country the situation-showed signs of improvements.
In West Bengal 10 persons were killed on Thursday-nine in the metropolis and one at haragpurpushing the toll to 19. Army moved in to take control and began combing operations in the worst hit areas of Beniapukur Kataya Tangra Entally Taltala Park Circus Beliaghata Maniktala Tiljala and Metiabruz in the evening.
The otherwise busy streets of Calcutta after a brief respite were again gripped by an eerie silence as fresh incidents of mob frenzy stabbing arson and looting rocked the city since midnight on Wednesday night. Curfew lifted for 10 hours on Wednesday was clamped again for an indefinite period.
The situation in Uttar Pradesh remained grim accounting for 163 deaths. Shoot-at-sight orders were issued as 25 persons including seven members of a family were killed in escalated violence in Kanpur on Thursday increasing the toll to 40. Violence rioting and looting spread to suburbs including Juhi and Kidwainagar where the situation was reported.
Army staged a flag march in Ghaziabad near here where two persons were killed as widespread violence broke out.”
The situation in curfew-bound Varanasi district also remained “very tense” following outbreak of violence in Lohta Bazar Dhannipur and Mahamoodpur villages which has left 20 dead. More than 250 houses were set ablaze after the demolition of a place of worship in Lohta Bazar.
The situation in Faizabad too was described as “tense” but “under control.”
In Maharashtra which showed signs of improvement on Wednesday the situation deteriorated on Thursday taking the death toll to 250 as Bombay remained the worst affected with 140 Police opened fire in four places in the city to drive away mobs indulging in rioting.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 30, 1992
