Parts of central Bangalore were tense but calm after communal violence on Sunday, in which a twelve-year-old lost his life
in police firing. Curfew was imposed for the night in the Bharti Nagar and Fraser Town areas, but the rest of the city was peaceful. The Karnataka government on Sunday declared a holiday for both private and government schools in the sensitive areas. Volatile situationThere were instances of stabbing, stone throwing and
vehicles being burnt as crowds gathered to attend a Hindu Samajotsava. Tear gas shells were also fired as Bangalore police strove to control the volatile situation near Bangalore's Shivajinagar area. The boy, who is still not identified, died of bullet injuries. He was brought dead to the hospital. Twenty-nine people were also injured. "Fifteen or 20 people came in a group, they stoned the vehicle in front and then ours," said a local. When asked who set the vehicles on fire, one said, "We didn't see that, we were running to the police station."The area where the
violence occurred is a busy commercial area usually packed on a weekend but on Sunday there were policemen everywhere.Anticipating violencePolice were prepared for some violence since Friday had already seen its share of trouble, when crowds heading for a protest against the hanging of Saddam Hussein went out of control.On that day, shops were attacked and many see Sunday's violence as a response to what had happened two days earlier. But despite police precautions, the situation was a difficult one to handle and the damage was done physically and also to the sense of security of the people living in the affected areas. Night curfew was imposed in Bharatinagar and Fraser town, which is a communally sensitive one. It was a weekend that the city will need some time to recover from.