3 killed in protests by Dalit bodies

Violence against alleged desecration of Babasaheb's statue spreads; train burnt, curfew in three towns.

Three persons were killed and curfew imposed in parts of three districts in Maharashtra as violent protests by Dalits over the alleged desecration of BR Ambedkar's statue in Kanpur continued for the second day today.

Protesters set fire to Deccan Queen outside Ulhasnagar railway station this morning. The crowd also ransacked two suburban local trains at Ulhasnagar, disrupting traffic on the Kalyan-Karjat section.

One person died in police firing as protests in Osmabad in Marathwada region turned violent. Another person died during a protest here but the cause of the death could not be ascertained. There were reports of clashes between two groups in Ulhasnagar. In another incident on Wednesday, a youth was lynched by a mob in Nashik when he was pelting shops with stones.

Incidents of stone pelting were also reported from Trombay, Chembur, Kurla, Bhandup, Mulund and Navghar areas of Mumbai. Similar incidents were reported from Kherwadi, Kurar, Bandra's Pali Hill and Goregaon, police said.

A BEST spokesman said 91 buses had been damaged. "Four drivers and a woman passenger were injured across the city," he said.

Dalit groups stopped trains at Bhandup and Airoli stations, affecting services briefly, a railway spokesperson said.

Police imposed curfew in Pimpri-Chinchwad, an industrial township 15 kms from Pune. Curfew was also imposed in parts of Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's town of Latur in Marathwada region. Police had to fire in the air to disperse a mob in Aurngabad which was trying to enter the government office complex.

Curfew was also imposed in Nanded town of Marathwada region and Nandurbar town of north Maharashtra.

In Nandurbar town, extra policemen were deployed after a protest march by Dalit organisations turned violent. Twenty-four people were injured, police said.

In Nasik district, Dalit activists tried to set afire a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation bus in Ambad area, police said. In Thane, all educational institutions and commercial establishments remained closed and buses and rickshaws stayed off roads, police said. A bus going from Kalyan to Dombivili was set on fire at Manpada, they said.

According to police, over a dozen cases have been registered in Thane district and an unspecified number of people have been arrested. Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil, who is also the home minister, could not give the number of the injured and the extent of damage to public and private property.

In Kanpur, authorities have deployed extra security around the statues of various political leaders and deployed additional force in sensitive areas. Seven persons have been detained in connection with the desecration of the statue and they were being interrogated, Senior Superintendent of Police PC Meena said.