More than 10,000 villagers in Chongqing clashed with police after the local government failed to deal with a school murder case, officials and human rights group said yesterday.
At least four people were arrested and more than 10 injured when 200 armed police were sent by the Youyang county government to disperse protesters who had gathered outside the county government office building on Friday, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said.
The group and local media said a court police car was destroyed by angry protesters.
Both the county government office and police bureau confirmed the riot yesterday, but refused to give more details.
'We solved the problem already as police intervened ... and we have passed the [school murder] case to the local court,' a spokesman from the county's propaganda office said.
The riot was triggered by the stabbing of Form One student Dong Zhegui by classmate Liu Yu during a quarrel at the Zhongdu Middle School on Thursday, the Youyang Daily newspaper said.
Youyang resident Chen Jun , who writes a weblog, said the school sent only Dong to hospital 40 minutes after the attack, and the delay in treatment proved fatal.
