MUMBAI (AFP)
Riots over vandalised statue leave 4 dead, dozens injured

At least four people were killed and dozens hurt yesterday as low-caste Hindus rioted in the western Indian state of Maharashtra over the vandalism of a statue of their leader, police said.
A mob representing a political faction of what are locally referred to as Dalits (Oppressed) targeted buildings and vehicles to protest the alleged vandalism several days ago of a statue of their late leader, B.R. Ambedkar, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Rampaging mobs set two passenger trains on fire, damaged more than 100 state-run buses and clashed with police in several cities and towns of Maharashtra state, officials said. “The protesters first asked passengers to alight from the Deccan Queen and then set it on fire,” Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil said.
He said another train was similarly torched.
Police put the number of people injured at 60 but ambulance personnel and volunteers said more than 150 were injured in the rioting.
“We have arrested dozens of these rioters across the state,” Maharashtra police chief PS Pasricha said, confirming four deaths but not the cause.
He also said there was sporadic street violence yesterday in Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, related to the incident. Schools and shops closed as mobs spread in the Mumbai suburb of Thane, and police used steel-tipped batons and fired teargas to disperse them in the suburb as well as in the city, police said.
Eyewitnesses said police also fired from rifles but the report could not be immediately confirmed. Pasricha said that the three Dalit protesters had been killed in violence during state-wide demonstrations since Wednesday.
The man killed by police was shot during unrest in Usmanabad district. "Buses and trains have been damaged in stone-throwing and arson. But the situation is now under control," Pasricha said.
Curfews were in place in Thane and other towns following reports that the commuter rail system in Mumbai was also the target of attacks, but local police said order was restored by late yesterday. Lower castes in India make up two-thirds of India’s one-billion-plus population, making them an important voting bloc.
“We are taking precautionary steps to maintain order in Mumbai on December 6, when thousands of Ambedkar’s followers will gather in the city for the leader’s death anniversary,” deputy chief minister Patil said. Ambedkar, one of the key authors of India’s constitution, fought for equal rights for the group during and after the freedom movement from British colonial rule, which ended in 1947. The Dalits have faced discrimination in employment, housing and education for centuries from upper caste members, many of whom hold positions of authority in government and business.