Indian Police Arrests 140 for Hindu-Muslims Clashes

Rasa - Police in western India have arrested 140 people after two men were stabbed during violence between Hindus and Muslims that left more than a dozen injured and was triggered by an image posted on Facebook, officials said on Monday.

News ID: 1273

Date: 01 October 2014 - 00:07

RNA – According to AFP, the clashes began on Thursday in the city of Vadodara after a distorted image offended Muslims on social media. The state authorities responded by blocking mobile Internet and text messaging to prevent further escalation of the conflict.

Police in the city said mobile phone text messages and other social media had been used to spread messages about rioting and to inflame religious tensions.

The four-day suspension of the mobile Internet, bulk text messaging and MMS services began on Saturday, a crime branch official in Vadodara told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Residents in the city confirmed to Reuters that services were disrupted.

The violence in the state of Gujarat coincides with a visit to the United States by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to meet President Barack Obama later on Monday on a trip emphasizing India’s economic potential.

Gujarat is the home state of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently in the United States and is scheduled to meet President Barack Obama. The state has a majority Hindu population and a history of religious conflict. At least 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, died in Gujarat in 2002 in violence between Hindus and Muslims. Modi was chief minister of the state at the time.

India has a dark history of religious violence, especially between the Hindu majority and Muslims, who account for more than 150 million people, making India the world’s third most populous Muslim nation.

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