Three dead after India madrassa demolition sparks religious clashes

DEHRADUN, (India): Three people were killed in India and dozens more injured after religious clashes sparked by the destruction of a madrassa, officials said Friday, the latest in a spate of demolitions targeting Islamic structures.

Hindu nationalist groups have been emboldened in their campaign against Muslim religious structures since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office a decade ago.

Authorities in the northern state of Uttarakhand had bulldozed the Islamic school and an adjoining prayer site on Thursday, claiming they had been built without permission. Police said that Muslim protesters threw stones at them in the protests that followed, prompting them to fire tear gas in response.

Three people had been killed in the clashes in Haldwani district, police spokesman Nilesh Anand Bharne told reporters.