By IANS,
Hyderabad : At least six people were injured Wednesday in clashes between two groups in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh after a boy and a girl belonging to different communities eloped and got married.
Tension prevailed in Vijayawada, about 300 km from here, as two groups threw stones and soda bottles at each other and attacked shops and houses. They also pelted stones on policemen and journalists.
Police said the trouble began Monday night when two groups came out on streets and pelted stones, injuring three people including two policemen. Unidentified people also cut the throat of a youth, seriously injuring him.
It started with a youth making a provocative remark to another youth belonging to the other community following the elopement and marriage of the young couple.
An auto rickshaw driver of Wynchipet area eloped with a girl of the same area but belonging to the other community. They married and returned to his house Monday.
The girl’s family alleged that the boy misled her and married her against her wishes.
Police refused to intervene saying the girl had attained the minimum legal age of marriage.
Though the situation was brought under control by police late Tuesday, tension continued in the area. Shops and business establishments remained closed in the area on Wednesday.
Many people from the two communities once again gathered on the streets, leading to clashes. They indulged in large-scale stone pelting and even used sharp-edged weapons.
A large number of policemen were deployed in the area to prevent further violence.
Police officers were holding talks with leaders of the two communities to bring the situation back to normalcy in Vijayawada, known for communal harmony.