By IANS,
Hyderabad : The indefinite curfew in riot-hit Bhainsa town in Andhra Pradesh continued Monday while the situation in other parts of Adilabad district remained tense, officials said.
Bhainsa, which witnessed communal violence Friday, remained under curfew for the fourth consecutive day without any relaxation. Vatoli village, where six members of a family were burnt to death by unidentified people in the early hours of Sunday, remained tense, as did Adilabad and Nirmal towns and other parts of the district.
Three children were among six people charred to death in the ghastly attack, which shocked the entire state. The family was asleep when their house was set afire by attackers. The incident took place two days after Bhanisa witnessed large-scale communal violence that claimed four lives.
The state government Sunday announced a probe by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the Vatoli incident and a judicial inquiry the violence in Bhainsa.
The Bhainsa clashes between members of two communities broke out during the immersion procession of Durga idols Friday. The rampaging mobs also torched over 40 shops and dozens of vehicles.
Residents of Bhainsa town are facing severe inconvenience as the authorities have so far not relaxed the indefinite curfew. Daily-wage earners are the worst hit and the town is still in the grip of fear, reports from the area said.
Police have intensified patrolling in Bhainsa and surrounding villages. Inspector General of Police Purnachandra Rao, District Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar and other senior officers are camping in Bhainsa.
Meanwhile, police remained on high alert in Adilabad and neighbouring districts in view of the twin incidents. Prohibitory orders banning assembly of more than five people were imposed in Adilabad and Nirmal towns in the district, where miscreants Monday set afire an auto-rickshaw in Basar town.
Security has also been beefed up in the state capital to prevent any untoward incident.
Politicians made a beeline to Bhainsa and Vatoli to express solidarity with the victims. Leader of Opposition and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu Monday visited the areas and express his anguish over Sunday’s “barbaric” incident. At Vatoli, he met the relatives of Mehboob Khan, who along with his five family members, was burnt to death.
Talking to reporters, Naidu demanded stern action against the guilty. He alleged that the Congress government had failed to maintain law and order in the state.
Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) leaders Allu Arvind and P. Prabhakar also visited Bhainsa and Vatoli and met the victims. PRP founder and president Chiranjeevi, who is on a tour of coastal Andhra Pradesh, condemned the Vatoli incident and blamed the intelligence agencies for their failure.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao also visited the village Sunday night and demanded compensation of Rs.1 million to the kin of the victims.