A protest in Mumbai against Assam riots on Saturday turned violent killing two people, police said.
The demonstrators torched a vehicle, vandalized buses and pelted stones, prompting the police to fire in the air.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Azad Maidan Ground in south Mumbai in the afternoon following a call by a city-based group, Raza Academy, to denounce the violence in Assam.
Azad Maidan Ground is located near Mumbai civic body headquarters and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai railway station.
The protesters suddenly turned violent and torched a media vehicle and damaged buses. They also pelted stones.
Police opened fire in the air and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob, said a policeman deployed at the Azad Maidan.
At least 16 persons were injured, of whom two died in a government hospital. Among the injured were some media persons.
“Two persons, who were injured during the violence at Azad Maidan and were in critical condition, died while undergoing treatment at St. George Hospital,” a police officer told PTI.
Security has been stepped up at religious places across the metropolis.