Curfew in Rudrapur after communal tension

Two men died and more than 25 people - including six policemen -- were injured after communal tension surfaced in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur on Sunday. Flashpoint

Two men died and more than 25 people - including six policemen -- were injured after communal tension surfaced in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur on Sunday.

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Curfew has been declared in the city, which is around 280 km from Dehradun.

Three companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed to help the police maintain law and order. In the evening, one company of RAF and the police held a flag march in the area. "We have deployed additional forces from neighbouring districts," said Amit Sinha, DIG, Kumaon range.

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The tension began on early in the morning, when a man spotted a torn religious book outside his house in Bhadiapura area of Rudrapur.

They thrashed sub divisional magistrate VS Budiyal and the few policemen who tried to pacify them. The police had to open fire to control the crowd. Later, the mob clashed with some members of the majority community.

More than 40 shops, four buses and one police vehicle were set ablaze. The injured have been admitted in the hospitals of Rudrapur and Haldwani, said a police officer.

"The situation is tense, but under control," said BVVR Purshottam, district magistrate, Udhamsingh Nagar.