Two people perished in riots that brought police and thousands of people together in Bangalore, southern India, provoked by a Facebook post deemed “insulting” to the Prophet Muhammad, authorities said on Wednesday.
At least 60 police officers were injured Tuesday evening when an angry mob attacked a police station, torched vehicles and the house of a local elected official whose nephew was accused of having posted the publication in question. We do not know what it contained.
Local media have broadcast images of residents seeking to enter the police station, and chanting slogans near the house of the elected.
Police fired live ammunition and used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
At least three people were seriously injured on Tuesday, and a journalist was also shot, police told AFP.
Media report that the two deceased were among the gunshot wounds.
The Bangalore police chief announced on Twitter that the elected official’s nephew had been arrested for his publication, along with a hundred residents accused of participating in a riot and arson. He said the situation was now under control.
Known as the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore is home to a large community of Muslims.