Click to play videoBhiwandi (Maharashtra): More violence broke out in Mumbai's satellite town of Bhiwandi on Thursday as an angry mob burnt down the Shanti Nagar police station on Thursday morning.
Clashes broke out between the residents of Bhiwandi and police officials on Wednesday over a piece of land that residents claim is a cemetry.
The problem arose when authorities began constructing a police station on that piece of land, adjacent to the Quarter Gate mosque in the heart of the town for they say that they use that plot as a burial ground.
An agitated mob on Wednesday, had set eight buses and four police posts on fire.
The furious mob also lynched two policemen to death.
The bodies of the constables, who have been identified as R Y Jagtap of Bhoiwada police station and B R Gangurde of Narpoli police station, were recovered on Thursday morning.
An overnight curfew was imposed in the area to bring the situation under control.
However, the curfew was lifted on Thursday morning, with the Thane Police Commissioner, D Sivanandan, telling CNN-IBN in an exclusive interview that no curfew would be imposed in the area until required.
"Unless there is an incident or unless provoked, we don't want to create unnecessary inconvenience to public by enforcing a curfew. As of now, there is no provocation. We have registered a murder case against the miscreants and we will identify them and take the necesssary legal action against them," he said.
Security has been stepped up in the area with deployment of the Rapid Action Force, police said adding that though offences have been registered, no arrest has been made.
Senior police officials, including the Police Commissioner are monitoring the situation.
Bhiwandi residents had previously taken out a march on the issue, but the matter precipitated on Wednesday when a thousand-strong crowd gathered to demolish the ongoing construction.
So far, four people, including two police personnel have died in the clashes and several others have been injured.
Bhiwandi Background |
 Bhiwandi has traditionally been a communally sensitive area. |
| Riots first erupted in the town on Shiv Jayanti in May, 1970. More than 160 people died in the riots. |
| The Justice D P Madon Commission nailed the police for involving Muslims in a so-called riot conspiracy. |
| In May 1984, 146 people died in riots in Bhiwandi, allegedly instigated by Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackerey. Thackeray had organised a Virat Hindu Sammelan on Chowpatti Beach where he made remarks about the Prophet. |
| On February 10, 2003, Bhiwandi erupted again, with clashes between the police and Muslims. At least 34 people were injured, including 26 policemen. |
(with inputs from PTI)
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