2 killed in Mumbai protest against Assam riots

, Aug 11: Two persons were killed and at least 10 injured when several vehicles were set ablaze after a protest rally against the recent

in

turned violent here today. The injured are undergoing treatment at St George, GT and JJ Hospitals.

In the afternoon, as many as 10 BEST buses were damaged by the unruly protesters who also vented their ire on a few shops in the subway leading to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. The OB vans of three television channels were attacked and the cameras of some reporters destroyed.

With the mob going on a rampage, police resorted to lathicharge and fired into the air. All roads leading to Azad Maidan, the venue of the protest, and CST were blocked as a precautionary measure.

Not only the movement of traffic, suburban train services were also affected by the violent protest.

Thousands attended the rally but the authorities did not anticipate that the large gathering would create trouble. When a section of the protesters started pelting stones at buses and setting vehicles on fire, the police were caught unawares and struggled to restore calm after an hour or so of mayhem.

In the evening, Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed in the area. They brought the situation under control.

The rally was organised by the Raza Academy. Members of the Sunni Jamaitul Ulma and Jamate Raza-e-Mustafa joined the rally. They urged the Centre and the Assam government to take steps to protect the minority community.

Incidentally, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has appealed for peace. He promised to talk to his Maharashtra counterpart Prithviraj Chavan.

Mumbai Crime Branch is expected to investigate the protest and the sudden unrest that it led to.

OneIndia News