Hyderabad, March 29: Communal violence, which erupted on Saturday night at Moosabowli, spread to other parts of the Old City on Sunday and continued unabated till late into the night.
Over 40 persons, including nine lensmen belonging to the electronic and print media, were injured as people belonging to two different communities pelted stones at each other, torched places of worship, RTC and private vehicles and business establishments.
The City Police clamped prohibitory orders in the Old City and deployed Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force. They lobbed tear gas shells at some places to disperse the rampaging mobs. Unconfirmed reports said they had also fired rubber bullets.
City Police Commissioner AK Khan termed the violence ‘‘an organised attempt to disturb peace’’ and said investigation into the cause of the first large-scale clashes in almost a decade had been handed over to the Special Investigation Team.
However, he ruled out any political angle to the clashes. Chief Minister K Rosaiah appealed to the people to exercise restraint and said there was no question of compromising on the law and order situation.
Rosaiah is reviewing the situation on a continuous basis. Director General of Police R R Girish Kumar and A K Khan visited the troubled areas.
Though violence subsided late on Saturday night, the simmering tension reached a breaking point after BJP State president Kishan Reddy visited Moosabowli in the morning. Soon after, clashes erupted and spread fast. What started as skirmishes at places like Afzalgunj, Gowliguda and some other parts of the city intensified and by afternoon, the areas turned into war zones.
The entire stretch from Charminar to Falaknuma turned into a battle zone with mobs pelting stones at each other, damaging places of worship and vehicles. Four RTC buses were torched in the area. Clashes were also reported from Lal Darwaza, Moghulpura, Falaknuma, Shalibanda and other parts on that stretch. Police vehicles, including that of a DCP rank officer, also came under attack and five constables were injured. Several women took shelter in the Charminar police station for hours. They were later sent home with police escorts.
Earlier in the day, violence spread to as far as Vattepally and Mailardevpally on the city outskirts.
At Siddiamber Bazar and Gowliguda, people belonging to one particular community pelted stones on a place of worship belonging to another. A place of worship was also set ablaze at Jahanuma, sources said. The mobs did not even spare animals and set on fire a cowshed at a place of worship at Shamsheergunj killing four cows.
-Agencies