Curfew relaxed in Haryana town after communal clash

Curfew imposed in Haryana's Tauru town following Sunday's communal violence after a road accident was Monday relaxed for three hours, officials said.

The curfew was relaxed from 4 p.m to 7 p.m. but no untoward incident was reported.

Curfew was imposed after violence erupted Sunday morning in Tauru town in Mewat district, some 40 km from Gurgaon, after a truck mowed down two men on a bike, killing one of them on the spot.

The truck driver and his assistant, from the Meo community, were thrashed by a mob after the accident.

A rumour spread that the duo were beaten to death and people from a community pelted stones and damaged business outlets.

Police fired blanks to control the mob, but nearly a dozen people, including some policemen, were injured in the clash.

"The decision to relax the curfew was taken after reviewing the situation," Mewat Deputy Commissioner R.C. Verma told IANS.

Around 1,500 personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and Haryana Police have been deployed in the area.

Curfew will continue Tuesday too.

"The area will be under curfew until complete normalcy is restored," Verma said.

The administration appealed to people to remain calm, maintain peace and avoid rumour-mongering.