Death toll from India's worst communal violence exceeds 550

Today, police opened fire on Hindu protesters in a remote village in Gujarat, western India. With the death of two protesters, the toll from the worst communal violence in India in over a decade, which began last week, has surpassed 550. According to Jim Tipple, a reporter for Voice of America from New Delhi, police and army personnel have managed to establish law and order in many areas of the state, but clashes between Hindus and Muslims continue in remote areas of Gujarat where the central government's authority is weak. This morning, Hindu residents of the village of Danta in northern Gujarat attempted to set fire to the homes of their Muslim neighbors, prompting police to open fire on them. Although other violent incidents similar to the Danta incident have been brought under control, violence continues in other areas that police have yet to access. Major cities in Gujarat are both calm and tense at the same time. While many businesses are open, schools remain closed, and many people have not left their homes. Curfews are also in effect in many areas. Police in Surat, the diamond trading hub of Gujarat, opened fire on protesters who were attempting to ignore curfew regulations. V.K. Gupta, the police commissioner of Surat, told reporters that his forces are working to identify and arrest those responsible for the violence. He stated that the goal is to isolate the perpetrators of these incidents and not allow them to move freely. Our main duty at present is to prevent people from being injured or attacked. If people want to move freely again in the current charged atmosphere, any incident could occur. Due to the lack of police presence in remote areas of Gujarat, clashes continue in those regions. The death toll continues to rise, and as sporadic attacks occur, more bodies are being collected from the attacked neighborhoods and villages. Most of the victims were Muslims, who are considered a minority in Gujarat. Thousands of Muslims have taken refuge in mosques and hospitals, stating that they will not return home until their safety is guaranteed. The riots began after 58 people, mostly Hindu activists, were burned to death while returning home from a religious ceremony in Ayodhya in northern India. Hindus intended to build a temple next to a mosque that was destroyed by Hindu activists in December 1992.