Indian Police Detain 27,000 Rightists
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NEW DELHI — Police have detained more than 27,000 rightists nationwide to prevent them from attending a banned Hindu nationalist rally, and a right-wing party said Tuesday that it will sue the Indian government.
The government fears that the rally, called for Thursday in a New Delhi park, will trigger Hindu-Muslim riots. More than 1,800 people died in two months of riots after Hindu zealots destroyed a mosque in northern India in December.
Police said they rounded up more than 19,000 Bharatiya Janata supporters across the country Tuesday as they were heading to New Delhi for the rally. News agencies put the total arrested Tuesday and earlier at 27,000.
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