August 14, 2002	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Saani 4, 1423

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NEW DELHI, Aug 13: Violence broke out in Gujarat hours after Indian President Abdul Kalam visited victims of recent Hindu-Muslim clashes.

At least three people were injured in Ahmedabad on Monday night when groups of Hindus and Muslims threw stones at each other and set fire to kiosks, forcing the police to fire teargas.

Twenty people were arrested for rioting.

Monday’s violence came hours after Kalam met victims of the recent bloodshed, and directed the state government to speed up relief work.

In a statement, Kalam said “immediate action” was needed to aid those in need, adding meeting the victims was a moving experience, the Indian Express reported.

Kalam began his two-day visit to Gujarat on Monday for a first-hand assessment of relief and rehabilitation work.

On his first official visit since assuming the office of president last month, Kalam visited Naroda Patiya, a suburb near the state capital Ahmedabad, where about 80 Muslims were killed in riots that broke out in the state in February.

Kalam also called for an “intensified movement to eliminate totally communal and other forms of strife”.

Indian media reported Kalam’s visit was a “conducted tour”, and many victims of some of the worst riots in India were not allowed to meet the president.

The president’s visit to Gujarat comes two days after India’s election commissioner criticized the state government for underplaying the suffering of riot victims.—dpa