Clashes between Hindus and Muslims during a religious festival prompted police in India to impose a curfew in one town and ban gatherings of more than four people in affected parts of Gujarat and two other states on Monday.

A day earlier, at least one person was killed and ten, including nine police, were injured when a Hindu procession was allegedly pelted with stones in a town in the western state of Gujarat.

In the central state of Madhya Pradesh, more than 35 people were injured during similar clashes, while the eastern state of Jharkand also suffered communal violence.

"We have detained seven people after the clashes and tight security arrangements have been put in place to prevent further tension," said M J Chaudhari, a police official based in Khambat town of Gujarat's Anand district, where one incident took place.

Authorities in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, also imposed a curfew in parts of Himmatnagar town.

In 2002, Gujarat was gripped by deadly, large scale communal violence for around a month. Rights groups say about 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat at that time and a rising star in the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The festival on Sunday marked the birth of the Hindu Lord Ram.

Last week, police imposed a curfew in the desert state of Rajasthan after a similar attack on a religious procession.

Opinion

Editorial

Words that wound
Updated 18 Jun, 2026

Words that wound

Hate speech rarely begins with physical attacks.
‘New urban province’
18 Jun, 2026

‘New urban province’

CONSIDERING the advance state of urban decay that affects Karachi, voices are often raised calling for the megacity,...
Punjab budget: mixed bag
18 Jun, 2026

Punjab budget: mixed bag

PUNJAB’S budget for FY27 is a mix of good and bad political choices, with a cash-strapped centre tightening the...
Spoiler alert
17 Jun, 2026

Spoiler alert

AFTER the temporary peace deal between the US and Iran is physically signed in Geneva on Friday, an arduous process...
Storm-tested cities
17 Jun, 2026

Storm-tested cities

THE deaths caused by the latest spell of monsoon rains in KP and Punjab illustrate how quickly severe weather can...
Chakwal tragedy
17 Jun, 2026

Chakwal tragedy

A NINE-year-old girl is dead because a Punjab Crime Control Department gunman mistook her family’s car for a...