Facebook post on Prophet Mohammad sparks deadly riots in India’s Bangalore
- A crowd attacked a police station, set vehicles on fire and burned down the house of a local lawmaker whose nephew was allegedly responsible for the post
- India is officially a secular country but has been plagued by a long history of violence between its Hindu majority and Muslim minority
At least three people in India were killed after a “derogatory” Facebook post about the Prophet Mohammed sparked riots in Bangalore that led to clashes between police and thousands of protesters, authorities said on Wednesday.
Senior police officer Kamal Pant said the protesters burned public and police vehicles and attacked the house of a local politician whose relative was accused of posting the remarks online. The post has since been deleted, he said.
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Facebook post on Prophet Mohammad leads to deadly clashes in India
“Three people died in the police action and more than 110 people have been arrested for attacking the police station,” Pant said. He said at least 60 police officers were injured in the violence Tuesday night in Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore.
Local media images showed protesters trying to barge into the police building and shouting slogans outside the politician’s home.
Pant said police fired live ammunition in self defence to disperse the crowd after initially using tear gas and batons.
