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India's version of American Idol sparked violence today when police clashed with supporters of the winner, leaving at least 30 people injured.
Officials said the army had been called in to maintain calm.
Prashant Tamang, an ethnic Nepali youth from the eastern state of West Bengal, beat Amit Paul from Meghalaya state, inflaming regional rivalries after a closely contested final round last Sunday.
The animosities subsided after the two contestants appealed for peace, but a radio station stoked further trouble by making inflammatory remarks about Tamang this week, angering ethnic Nepalese.
Today, thousands marched in West Bengal's Siliguri town in protest against the remarks. The procession later turned violent, forcing police to fire tear gas shells and use batons.
A Reuters photographer was injured in the clashes.
"The situation is tense. We have placed the entire region under heavy security cover," Ravinder Jit Singh Nalwa, a senior police officer, told Reuters.
Indian Idol is among a slew of singing contests on Indian television judged by audience vote. The voting is heavily parochial, with contestants drawing maximum votes from their native state.
REUTERS
Officials said the army had been called in to maintain calm.
Prashant Tamang, an ethnic Nepali youth from the eastern state of West Bengal, beat Amit Paul from Meghalaya state, inflaming regional rivalries after a closely contested final round last Sunday.
The animosities subsided after the two contestants appealed for peace, but a radio station stoked further trouble by making inflammatory remarks about Tamang this week, angering ethnic Nepalese.
Today, thousands marched in West Bengal's Siliguri town in protest against the remarks. The procession later turned violent, forcing police to fire tear gas shells and use batons.
A Reuters photographer was injured in the clashes.
"The situation is tense. We have placed the entire region under heavy security cover," Ravinder Jit Singh Nalwa, a senior police officer, told Reuters.
Indian Idol is among a slew of singing contests on Indian television judged by audience vote. The voting is heavily parochial, with contestants drawing maximum votes from their native state.
REUTERS
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