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Yogesh Pawar in Kalyan
Rioting, arson, looting and stone throwing continued in Kalyan, 53 km from Mumbai, for the third day in succession on Friday despite heavy deployment of paramilitary forces, including the State Reserve Police Force and the Rapid Action Force.
Miscreants set fire to a row of shops near the Kalyan Dombivili Municipal Corporation building around 6.30 pm. While there were no reports of casualties, three fire engines had not succeeded in taming the flames till late night.
Rohidaswada, where it all began with the murder of Ashok Walunj, a Bajrang Dal activist, on Tuesday, saw more tension as mobs prevented families belonging to a minority community from returning to their houses when curfew was relaxed between 10:00 am and 12:00 noon.
These were not activists of any political parties, but residents of the area armed with iron bars, choppers and swords. They advised media photographers and videographers against shooting pictures.
The district chief of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Chandramouli Chaube, chose to call this "a spontaneous outpouring of feelings."
Six people have died in Kalyan since Monday night when communal violence first erupted.
The Hindutva brigade has now decided to hit where it hurts most. Boards have been put up across the town by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh exhorting people to not buy milk at the Dudh naka - a central milk mart which sees a turnover of over Rs 500,000 a day in milk and milk products. Most of the business here is controlled by the minority community.
At least for Friday, the ban seemed to work. Saleem Kidwai, a milk dealer, said: "The closure of hotels in Kalyan had hit our wholesale market. Now even retails business is down. Why does the RSS forget that most of our stable-hands are Hindus from UP?"
While there was no call for a bandh on Friday, not many shops were open and very few people were out on the roads.
A BJP-Sena-VHP-Bajrang Dal morcha from Shivaji Chowk to the Thane commissionerate led to more tension as the mob began raising provocative slogans. They also stoned some Bohri Muslim properties on the way and ransacked Aslam Bakery, which shares a wall with the DCP's office.
Photo: Sameer Mangtani
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