Singapore: 2 more Indians booked for rioting

, Dec 14: Two more Indians were charged by Singapore authorities here for their alleged involvement in Singapore's worst outbreak of

in over 40 years, taking the total number of Indians arraigned in the violence to 33.

Palanivel Dhasmohan, 27, and Karuppiah Chandrasekar, 31, were accused of being part of an unlawful assembly of 400 South Asian migrant workers and throwing pieces of hardened cement at police officers in the vicinity of Little India's Race Course Road on December 8.

Both the accused face one count of rioting. If convicted, the accused persons could face the maximum punishment of seven years in jail and caning.

The riot started after a private bus fatally knocked down an Indian pedestrian on December 8 at the junction of Race Course Road and Hampshire Road in Little India.

The migrant workers involved in the rampage that left 39 police and civil defence staff injured and 25 vehicles -- including 16 police cars -- damaged.

Singapore previously witnessed violence of such scale during race riots in 1969.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had ordered the formation of a special committee to probe the riot and warned to use "full force of the law" against trouble-makers.

PTI