A government minister in the western Indian state of Gujarat says the authorities have arrested eighty-eight people in connection with communal clashes in the state earlier this week.

The Gujarat Home Interior Minister, Harin Pandya, told the BBC the state government had sent a report to Delhi on the action it had taken following the latest round of clashes between Christians and Hindu extremists in Ahowar Dang district.

Mr Pandya said the state government had taken steps to prevent the clashes from spreading further and was committed to ensuring the safety of all its citizens.