Police punished after Agra riots

Story Highlights
Police official: Suspended police officers failed to reach accident site quickly
Hindus and Muslims have often clashed in the Nai Mandi neighborhood
All schools and colleges to remain closed until Saturday, official says
Next Article in World »

NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- Thirteen policemen were suspended Thursday for failing to prevent rioting that left one person dead and forced a curfew in the northern Indian city that is home to the Taj Mahal, a police official said.

Angry residents throw stones, as trucks go up in flames in Agra, India, early Wednesday.

Rioters set fire to 20 vehicles and blocked roads Wednesday in Agra -- 130 miles northwest of New Delhi -- after four men were hit and killed by a truck. An absolute curfew was imposed to restore order.

The 13 police officers were suspended for dereliction of duty because they failed to reach the accident site quickly enough and for failing to control the angry people at the scene, Senior Superintendent of Police Hari Ram Sharma said.

The victims of the truck accident, all Muslims, were walking home after a religious festival, said Vikram Singh, the director-general of police in Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh, where Agra is located.

The Nai Mandi neighborhood of Agra -- where the accident occurred -- is home to both Hindus and Muslims, and the two communities have often clashed. But local government spokesman J.N. Chambers said the rioting was not sectarian.

People came out on the streets throwing stones at the police and armed riot police were sent to quell the violence. One person was shot dead -- it isn't known by whom, though police did fire in the air in an effort to quell the riots -- and 20 others were injured, Sharma said. The injured included six police, four firefighters and 10 civilians.

Police gave no details about the fate or background of the driver of the truck.

On Thursday, the city was calm and the Taj Mahal and other historic monuments outside the curfew zone were open to tourists. But a government advisory to residents and tourists warned against venturing outside the zone, which covers about half of Agra, Sharma said.

All schools and colleges in the city will remain closed until Saturday, Chambers told media Wednesday.

The white-marble Taj Mahal is a monument built by the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. E-mail to a friend