Four Indians killed in communal clashes at Hindu festival

West Bengal authorities ban public gatherings and shutdown internet after religious festival sparks communal violence.

At least four people have died in India's eastern state of West Bengal after communal clashes erupted during a Hindu religious festival in which thousands of people took to the streets, some carrying swords and sticks, to mark the birth of the Hindu god, Rama.

Authorities banned gatherings of more than four people in parts of West Bengal and blocked access to the internet in the towns of Asansol and Raniganj to quell the violence, in which dozens of homes, businesses and a mosque were also attacked.

Tapas Banerjee, a politician from the Trinamool Congress, which rules the state of West Bengal, told Al Jazeera on Friday the ban on public gatherings and the internet shutdown will remain in place until April 7.

He said police were investigating the deaths and vowed to punish the perpetrators of the violence.
"For now, all we can say is that our priority is to bring the situation under control. The culprits will be punished in time."

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At least two were killed when clashes erupted on Sunday, while a third and fourth death were reported on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, according to officials and media reports.
Critics have accused the rally organisers, which include Hindu nationalist or Hindutva groups and officials of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of instigating the violence in West Bengal, with one observer saying armed rallies to mark Ram's birth were "unprecedented" and aimed at fostering a "militant Hindu identity" in the state.
A BJP official, however, called it an "old tradition", while another blamed Muslims for the clashes.
Tensions between Muslims and Hindus have increased in some places since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014.
Critics accuse Modi and the BJP of undermining India's secular ideals by trying to redefine it as a Hindu nation. The majority of India's 1.3 billion people are Hindus, while Muslims make up about 14 percent of the population.
Under Modi, attacks on Muslims accused of eating beef or killing cows, an animal considered sacred in Hinduism, have increased. Religious minorities have also been subject to derogatory comments by politicians linked to the BJP.