At least four people, as per official count, were injured in a communal clash that broke out between two communities in Vadodara on Friday evening.

Three civilians and one jawan of the State Reserve Police were injured in stone pelting in the Panigate area of Vadodara city. The incident began around 7.30 p.m. and it took the police several hours and 16 rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Several vehicles were also damaged in the incident.

According to the police, the clash was triggered by a minor argument over the parking of an auto rickshaw that escalated into a violent clash. An auto driver from one community had parked his vehicle outside a shop to recharge his mobile phone. A member from another community asked him to shift his auto and the two had a heated exchange.

The situation became tense around 8.30 p.m. after people returned from the evening ‘namaaz’ and a confrontation of two communities took place.

The localities of Panigate, Yakutpura, Chipwad and Moghul Wada were affected in the incident, local corporator Chandrakant Thankkar told The Hindu. He said local warring gangs of anti-social elements also played mischief in the incident. Some of the gang members were reported to have opened fire, but the police denied any firing, he said.

A total of three cases of rioting were filed at Vadodara police station by police complainants – Mukesh Jadeja, SRP constable, AF Sindhi, assistant commissioner of police, and JG Amin, police station in-charge. The FIRs together list around 400 unknown accused persons from both communities, apart from two named accused Gulam Mohammad Ibrahim Mohammadkhanwalla and Mohammad Miyan Mohammad Umar Kauwewalla.