Source: IOL

Wire Service: AP

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=126&art_id=qw1150692842791R131

On June 19, 2006 the Associated Press reported, "Rioters set fire to more than 100 houses, killing at least two girls, during Hindu-Muslim clashes in northern India sparked when unidentified gunmen killed a local Hindu leader, police said on Monday. The violence on 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 200km southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state."