Army sent to stop caste-related riots, violence in Gujarat

The Indian army patrolled riot-hit areas of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat on Thursday after the death toll rose to seven in two days of caste-related violence.

Clashes spread after police arrested a young leader of the influential Patel clan who led a huge rally on Tuesday to demand more government jobs and college places for members of his community.

The breakdown of law and order revived memories of serious rioting in 2002 in which more than 1,000 people died, most of them Muslims. Modi, chief minister of Gujarat at the time, has faced criticism for doing too little to halt the bloodshed.