Curfew after India water clashes

The authorities in the Indian state of Rajasthan have imposed a curfew in two towns of Sriganganagar district after clashes between farmers and police.

The farmers are demanding more water to irrigate their crops.

A senior official in Sriganganagar district told the BBC that the curfew had been in place in Ghadsana and Rawla towns since Tuesday morning.

The official said the situation is tense but under control, with army patrols to prevent more violence.

Rubber bullets

Police officials say more than 60 farmers were detained on Monday night for breaching the peace.

Farmers protests are becoming increasingly commonplace in India

They say the farmers threw stones at them and attempted to surround a government office in Ghadsana.

Police say that they cane-charged the protesters and used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them.

More than 24 farmers and six policemen were injured in the clashes.

It is the second time in a week that the town of Ghadsana town has been placed under curfew.

The BBC's Narayan Bareth in the state capital, Jaipur says that people of the town witnessed similar scenes in 2004 when police opened fire on a crowd, resulting in the deaths of five farmers.

After that incident, the state government reached an accord with the farmers, under which they promised to provide sufficient water.

But the farmers claim the government has not stuck to the agreement, which has forced them to re-start their agitation campaign.

The opposition Congress party has blamed the state's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for ignoring the farmers' plight.