Mumbai violence: Situation normal, over 20 people held

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Over 20 people have been arrested in connection with the violence near Azad Maidan here in which two youths were killed and at least 55 injured, police said on Sunday.

The situation is normal and heavy police deployment has been put in place, they said. "The situation has been normal since yesterday evening. We have deployed a heavy police force in the vicinity of Azad Maidan," a senior police officer said.

Over 20 people allegedly involved in Saturday's violence have been arrested and various sections of IPC, including that of molestation and theft, have been slapped on them, police said.

During the violence, the mob had snatched two self- loading rifles and a pistol from women police personnel, they added. Two persons were killed and at least 55 people, including 45 policemen, injured in the mayhem that erupted after a protest rally turned violent, with the mob damaging buses, hurling stones and setting vehicles afire.

The protest call was given by a city-based outfit, Raza Academy, to denounce the riots in Assam and also the alleged attacks on a minority community in Myanmar.

Awami Vikas Party (AVP), a political outfit floated by former police officer Shamsher Khan Pathan, had also taken part in the protest. Police said the crime branch would probe if any inflammatory speech was made by the organisers of the protest rally at Azad Maidan and whether the vandalism was pre-meditated.