Five shot at in Delhi rioting, 70 arrested

Five people were shot at during a clash Saturday between two communities over a petty issue in east Delhi's Trilokpuri area, police said, adding that 70 people have been arrested.

Police have issued prohibitory orders and imposed section 144 (joining unlawful assembly) in the area after firing took place in the evening. They also advised people to avoid visiting the area.

"Five people were reported to be injured by gunshots but these were not fired by police. We are trying to identify who were behind the firing," a police officer said.

The firing took place around 4 p.m. Saturday, said the officer.

Earlier, police said 10 people were arrested Friday and 23 Saturday for rioting in the area.

A minor clash occurred between the two communities late Thursday over rituals for the Diwali festival in Trilokpuri's B-Block.

Two groups of people pelted stones at each other.

Police immediately rushed to the area and pacified the people.

A group of people again started pelting stones Friday at the other group aggravating the tense situation.

According to police, 14 people including 13 police personnel were also injured in the stone pelting. They were admitted to Lal Bahadur Shastri and Guru Teg Bahadur hospitals in east Delhi.

A press statement issued by police said: "In the morning of 25th (Saturday), certain incidents were reported in some highly congested blocks of Trilokpuri. Police had to use the required minimum force to deal with the situation."

"Adequate police force has been deployed in the affected area to prevent any further outbreak of tension. Local aman (peace) committees have been activated for early restoration of normalcy," the statement said.

Police, Rapid Action Force and Central Reserve Police Force personnel have been deployed in the area. Senior officers have also been stationed at police stations there.

Over 30 police vans, water cannons and riot control vehicles have been stationed in the area and police combing was on.

The Intelligence Bureau and other agencies are also keeping a watch on the situation.

A few days ago, intelligence agencies had warned states of the possibility of communal clashes during the festival season.