CHANDIGARH, June 7: A curfew was imposed on Saturday in parts of East Punjab as police intervened in riots involving lower caste Hindus and upper caste landowners that left one youth dead, an official said.

The trouble flared on Thursday when youths from the Dalit community, India’s lowest caste, were beaten up by landowners from the powerful upper caste Jat community for wanting to attend a fair in Jalandhar region.

Angered by the incident, Dalit youths clashed on Friday with members of the Jat community in different parts of the state and torched state-owned buses and buildings.

“In Buta Mandi, police had to resort to firing on Friday to quell rioting. A young man was killed in police firing. We have beefed up security for Kala’s cremation on Saturday,” added the spokesman.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered a probe into the violence in Buta Mandi, some 190km northwest of the state capital Chandigarh.

Singh has also ordered 500,000 rupees to be paid to Kala’s family as compensation.—AFP