Deadly clashes hit Modi’s home state

AHMEDABAD, India: At least six people have died in the worst violence to hit Narendra Modi’s home state in more than a decade, police said Wednesday, as the Indian prime minister appealed for calm.
Authorities in western Gujarat state said the army had been deployed to try to restore peace after a mass rally turned violent, with protesters torching cars, buses and police stations.
The violence appears to have been triggered by the detention late Tuesday of the 22-year-old leader of a mass movement by the Patidar or Patel caste to demand preferential treatment for jobs and university places.
Director general of police PP Pande told AFP three people had been killed in the main city of Ahmedabad, where an estimated half a million people gathered for a rally on Tuesday. The violence later spread to other parts of the state and another two people were killed when police opened fire on rioters early Wednesday in Banaskantha district.
A sixth protester died in Mehsana district.