06-20-2006, 06:05 AM
<b>Hindus, Muslims clash in north Indian town, houses torched, 2 schoolgirls killed</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Rioters set fire to more than 100 houses, killing at least two girls, during Hindu-Muslim clashes in northern India sparked when <b>unidentified gunmen killed a local Hindu leader, </b>police said Monday.
The violence Sunday in the town of Pratapgarh followed the shooting death of village council leader Ashish Pathak in a crowded market, said police official Prem Prakash.
As news of the incident spread, his supporters took to the streets, destroying shops and setting fire to Muslims' homes, Prakash said.
"More than 100 houses were burned, and two girls were charred to death," he said.
Riot police were patrolling the town on Monday, but the situation was still tense, he said. Pratapgarh is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.
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The violence Sunday in the town of Pratapgarh followed the shooting death of village council leader Ashish Pathak in a crowded market, said police official Prem Prakash.
As news of the incident spread, his supporters took to the streets, destroying shops and setting fire to Muslims' homes, Prakash said.
"More than 100 houses were burned, and two girls were charred to death," he said.
Riot police were patrolling the town on Monday, but the situation was still tense, he said. Pratapgarh is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.
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