Hyderabad tense; Class X, university exams postponed

A day after curfew was imposed in eight more localities, tension prevailed in trouble-torn areas in Hyderabad that witnessed the death of two persons and injuries to 90 others in communal violence since Saturday.

"The situation is tense in major parts of Hyderabad, but no fresh incidents of violence have been reported since last night," Andhra Pradesh DGP R R Girish Kumar said on Tuesday.

Authorities have postponed Class 10 examinations for Wednesday and Thursday at 410 centres in curfew-bound areas. The Osmania University has also postponed its degree examinations. ...

A youth died in clashes on Tuesday near Haradarwaja, where two groups indulged in heavy stone pelting.

At least eight persons, including two policemen, were injured in another stone-pelting incident in Musheerabad area on Tuesday evening when a group threw stones on a rally taken out on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanthi, police said adding, one person was stabbed in Malakpet area.

DCP Traffic Ravi Varma was injured on Tuesday night when an unruly mob hurled stones at his vehicle in Mallepally under Humayun Nagar station limits. He was admitted to a hospital and is said to be out of danger.

When the procession was passing through Bholakpur and Musheerabad area on Tueday, some miscreants went on a rampage attacking shops and damaging autorickshaws.

With the groups of both communities taking positions on the street corners and pelting stones, the area turned in to a virtual battlefield.

The situation was brought under control only after the police and Rapid Action Force swung in to action and fired in the air.

Later locals told reporters that the trouble was created by miscreants from outside."The people who indulged in stone pelting and attacks were not locals," said Syed Hasaham, a local businessman in Musheerabad. Venkatchary, another businessman said that allowing such a big procession in the present circumstances was unwise.

The Madina circle and Charminar localities wore a deserted look with the police and paramilitary forces strictly enforcing the curfew and not allowing anybody to move about.

Barricades were set up at many places to keep the people of other areas of the city away from Hyderabad's curfew-bound south zone.

Only the armed policemen and Rapid Action Force personnel along with news channel crews and journalists were seen moving on the roads on Tuesday.

It is first time in two decades that Hyderabad has witnessed such a curfew.