India: 14 dead in communal clashes, security forces deployed

At least 14 people have been killed in clashes in India's Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, officials said Sunday. A television journalist was among those killed, and more than 34 people were injured in the fights that began Saturday, the Indo-Asian News Service reported. A high alert was issued across the state, and army and parliamentary forces were deployed in the area, authorities said. The report said 28 companies of security forces, including Rapid Action Force and Provincial Armed Constabulary, were sent to the area. The clashes between Hindus and Muslims were sparked by the killing of three villagers who objected to the harassment of a young woman in northern India, ABC News reported. A group of farmers who met Saturday to demand justice were attacked while walking home, officials said.