Trouble broke out near Sikh Chawni near Bahadurpura, adjacent to the Old City, after miscreants burnt a religious flag. Hyderabad police too deployed armed pickets at strategic points in the Old City to ensure clashes didn’t spread to other areas.

Indefinite curfew was imposed in Rajendranagar police station area under Cyberabad Commissionerate in Hyderabad on Wednesday, following communal clashes and death of three persons in police firing.

Trouble broke out near Sikh Chawni near Bahadurpura, adjacent to the Old City, after miscreants burnt a religious flag in the early hours of Wednesday. Tension gripped the area as members of a community attacked two youths blaming them for the flag burning incident.

Attacks on houses followed while arson was reported in some parts of the area. Cyberabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand and top officials of Hyderabad Police arrived at the spot and reviewed the situation. Contingents of armed police and paramilitary forces, which were brought to the city for election security, were rushed to the area.

The situation was tense but under control, police officials told The Hindu. Patrolling has been stepped up in other sensitive areas of the Old City as rumours about violence and group clashes spread.

Hyderabad police too deployed armed pickets at strategic points in the Old City to ensure clashes didn’t spread to other areas.

Three killed in police firing

Earlier, three people were killed when police opened fire to control mobs going on a rampage near Kishanbagh in the outskirts of the Old City.

At least 10 private vehicles were burnt in the violence while a video camera mounted vehicle of the Cyberabad Police was attacked even as police struggled to contain the clash which broke out around 5 a.m. Cyberabad Police Joint Commissioner Gangadhar was pelted with stones as he headed police teams moving in the area.

Tension escalated in other parts of Old City as unconfirmed reports said that a youngster was attacked. Even as he was shifted to hospital, heavy stone pelting from both communities continued in the area.

Despite presence of police forces, the two groups started attacking properties. After lobbing tear gas shells, police opened fire on a mob resulting in the death of three persons who are yet to be identified.