In pictures: Religious clashes hit Muzaffarnagar
- Published

Several villages in Muzaffarnagar in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh are under curfew after at least 28 people were killed in religious clashes over the weekend. Correspondents say the clashes are the deadliest India has seen for a decade.

Violence broke out on Saturday after the killing of three men who had protested against the alleged harassment of a local woman.

Anger was stoked further when a video, now dismissed as a fake and apparently showing the lynching of two men, was circulated. Hindu farmers held a meeting to protest against the killings.

Clashes between Hindus and Muslims then spread to neighbouring villages and continued into Sunday. More than 50 people were injured and there are fears the death toll could rise.

As residents spoke of their fear amid a volatile situation, more than 100 people were arrested on charges of inciting violence.

Some 800 troops have been deployed in the area to stop the clashes spreading further.

Reports say shops and schools were still closed on Monday in and around Muzaffarnagar.

Uttar Pradesh experienced some of the worst religious clashes in India after a Hindu mob razed the 16th Century Babri Mosque in the holy city of Ayodhya in 1992, prompting nationwide rioting in which more than 2,000 people died.
- Published9 September 2013