1 killed, 200 injured in Dhule riots

At least one person died and 200 others, including 30 policemen, were injured when mobs ran riot in Dhule town in Nashik division on Sunday afternoon. The police had to open several rounds of fire in the air to disperse the rampaging mob and bring the situation under control. Later, the district administration clamped curfew in the town till Monday morning.  

It all started around 3pm following a verbal altercation between two groups of people over a cricket match in the Madhavpura area of the town. Soon, the two groups grew larger in strength and they targeted each other with stones, soda and acid bottles and even acid bombs. The rioting then spread to the Macchi bazaar area and then to some other parts. Some burnt tyres on the road while others set shops, vehicles and houses on fire. This left one person dead. However, some sources say that the number of the dead stood at three.       

The mobs continued to be violent till about 6pm and the police had to open fire to stop the riots. Soon after, curfew was also imposed. The 30 policemen hurt in stone-pelting included the

superintendent of police Pradeep Deshpande and additional superintendent of police Mohan Pawar. While some of them were admitted to the civil hospital, others were back on their toes after first aid. 

Speaking to DNA, additional SP Mohan Pawar said: “The riot spread very fast and the police had to intervene by firing in the air. The city is now manned with extra force. Two companies of SRPF which were camping in Dhule have been deployed immediately. Bandobast is strict and the town is under police patrolling.”

The authorities, however, did not confirm the exact reason for the flare up.

District collector Prakash Mahajan said, “Curfew has been imposed till Monday morning. The situation is now under control and the injured have been admitted to the hospital. We have formed action teams of revenue and police personnel and all are attending to the emergency. Additional police force from Nashik and Aurangabad has been called for.”

Dhule has a brief history of riots. The last time when a riot broke out on October 5, 2008, it left the town charred and injured a number of people. The town had to be put under curfew for a few days to bring back normalcy.