Curfew, tension in MP after Bajrang Dal leader killed

Curfew was imposed in Vidisha town of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday as agitated mobs protesting the killing of a Bajrang Dal leader went on the rampage and set several shops on fire, the district police said.

Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Choudhary told IANS that violence erupted in the town after a group of six persons stabbed to death Deepak Kushwaha, a Bajrang Dal office bearer, in Vidisha town on Saturday.

There were also reports of protests by Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists on Saturday in the town which falls in the parliamentary constituency of Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj.

Authorities earlier prohibited any gathering of four or more persons, slapping orders under Section 144 of the CrPc, when the situation in the town worsened following stone pelting by Bajrang Dal members. Many persons, among them several policemen, were injured in the incident.

Curfew was imposed in Kotwali area of the town after the restrictions failed to quell the violence.

Authorities have also called in police reinforcements from Madhya Pradesh capital city Bhopal to keep the situation under control.

--IANS

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