At least 5 killed in Hindu-Muslim clashes south of capital

At least five people, including two police personnel, were killed in clashes between Hindus and Muslims that erupted on Monday around 50km south of the Indian capital New Delhi, police officials told Reuters.

The violence erupted after a Hindu religious procession passed through the Muslim dominated Nuh region in Haryana state, the officials said. By the evening, the violence had spilled over into neighbouring Gurugram, where a mosque was torched, killing the cleric and injuring another person.

"Five people involved in the incident have been rounded up and the others are being identified," said Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner of Gurugram, adding that security around places of worship had also been tightened.

Gurugram, formerly known as Gurgaon, shares a border with New Delhi and has emerged as a business hub for the country, housing several multinational companies.

Public order clampdowns had already been issued for the district after five cars were set on fire and some shops damaged on Monday evening, and schools and colleges had been directed to remain closed.

Local government officials in both Nuh and Gurugram met representatives of the Hindu and Muslim communities in their regions on Tuesday to appeal for calm.

Gurugram, however, continued to remain tense through the day as mobs roamed the streets, setting fire to scrap shops and vandalising small eateries, most of which belonged to Muslims.

By the evening, mobile internet services had been suspended in most of the district.

Officials from the local administration in Nuh said they were investigating the cause of the standoff that sparked the initial violence.

"The procession was meant to move from one temple to another but clashes broke out between two groups on the way, which resulted in the death of four people," Krishan Kumar, spokesperson of Nuh police, told Reuters.

He said two of the dead were members of the home guard, a voluntary force that helps police control civil disturbances.

Another 60 people, including 10 police personnel, were injured in the clashes, local government officials said.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, in a post on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, also condemned the incident in Nuh, where curfew orders have been imposed, the internet shut off, and additional security forces deployed.