India town sets curfew, orders police to shoot violators after fatal clashes over mosque
- Violence over the building of a Muslim training college and mosque have killed three people and injured many, including 150 police officers, the authorities said
- The government has not said whether police fire killed the protesters in Haldwani, about 270km (170 miles) from Delhi, nor has it identified the religion of the victims
Three people were killed in India and dozens injured after religious clashes sparked by the destruction of a mosque and seminary, officials said on Friday, the latest in a spate of demolitions targeting Islamic structures.
Hindu nationalist groups have been emboldened in their campaign against Muslim religious structures since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office a decade ago.
Authorities in the northern Indian town of Haldwani imposed an indefinite curfew and ordered police to shoot violators after clashes left three dead and more than 150 hurt, officials said.
The violence on Thursday also led authorities to shut down internet services and schools in the town, Uttarakhand state government official Chief Radha Raturi said.
The situation was brought under control with nearly 4,000 police officers rushing to the area, said police officer A.P. Anshuman. He said police were ordered to shoot protesters violating the curfew.
On Thursday, thousands of protesters tried to block government officials and police who arrived to demolish the seminary and mosque following a court order that the structures were being built on government land without local authorisation, Anshuman said.