DATE= 05/07/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= GUJARAT VIOLENCE / S

NUMBER=2-289503

BYLINE= JIM TEEPLE

DATELINE= NEW DELHI

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Two Muslim men were killed by Hindu mobs Tuesday in India's

western Gujarat State, sparking new disturbances in Ahmedabad -- the

state's most populous city. V-O-A's Jim Teeple has more from our New

Delhi bureau.

TEXT: The latest violence prompted authorities to extend a curfew to

the outskirts of Ahmedabad, where Tuesday's killings took place.

Religious violence has increased in recent days in Ahmedabad, despite

tough curfews in many parts of the city.

More than 900 people -- mostly Muslims -- have died in Gujarat, since late

February, when riots broke out after 58-mostly-Hindu activists were

killed, when a Muslim mob set the train they were traveling in on fire.

The violence has shaken India's ruling coalition, led by the Hindu

nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party -- which also controls the Gujarat

State Government.

Prime Minister Vajpayee's national government survived a censure motion brought

by the opposition, last week. Monday, the government threw its support

behind an opposition-sponsored motion in India's upper house that

called for federal protection and relief for the victims of violence in

Gujarat. (Signed)

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