Surat (Gujarat): Five FIRs have been registered on Thursday in connection with the communal violence that broke out between two communities – which saw two dead and more than half a dozen injured – at Ambheta and Hansot village near here.

State reserve police have been deployed in the area even as the situation remained under control, police claimed. Patrolling had been intensified in riot affected areas. As a precautionary measure, to prevent rumour mongering, internet services and messaging too have been disabled in Bharuch district.

Two persons were killed and more than half a dozen others, including a deputy superintendent of police, were injured, after an intense clash between two communities on Wednesday. Several properties were damaged and scores of vehicles were set afire by the clashing mobs.

A PTI report quoted Hansot police saying, "A case of murder has been registered against 16 persons for their alleged involvement in killing two local youth yesterday during the riot. We have also registered four other FIRs against a mob for their involvement in assault, rioting and causing damage to property etc."

Contrasting reasons were offered by both the communities involved in the clashes.

By the time of filing this report, tension continued in both the villages on Thursday although police claimed situation was control. Although curfew was not imposed formally, police, as a precautionary measure, are not allowing gathering of people.

Hansot, which has had a history of communal clashes, had seen a round of communal tension as recently as December 2014. As reported by Times of India, the town had faced communal tension due to alleged derogatory images about minority community. Ambheta local 23-year-old Sajan Patel was arrested for allegedly spreading the message. He was booked under IPC 153 (a), (b), 295 (a) and section 66 of Information Technology Act. The arrest was a result of – locals claimed – a huge rally by members of the minority community against the alleged derogatory message circulated over social media.

Possibly keeping such incidents in mind, police had disabled internet services and messaging since late Wednesday evening to prevent rumour mongering.

A local source from Hansot claimed, a day after the riots, "police had started combing operations and took away almost 25 youth from the minority community. We are discontent with police who had helped the other community vandals yesterday and today they are targeting only our youth." He had alleged that on Wednesday, police had played a partisan role and provided a free hand to them (the other community members) during the riots for vandalizing properties belonging to the minority community members.

Referring to the huge rally – he claimed almost 25,000 persons had attended it – the source alleged, "Our large gathering had probably irked some from the other community, who, after this march and arrest of their youth, have allegedly planned to avenge."