PATNA, India (Reuters) - Angry demonstrators burned car tyres, blocked traffic for hours and marched in protest against a spurt in kidnapping in the lawless state of Bihar on Monday, witnesses and police said.
The trouble in Patna started after the body of a 14-year-old boy, missing since Sunday, was found with stab wounds by a rail track near the city, a senior police officer said.
At least 900 people, mostly children, have been kidnapped for ransom in the state this year compared to about 2,000 in 2006, officials say.
"Crime is common, we want peace," some among the hundreds of protesters shouted. Others, armed with sticks, beat up drivers who hesitated to stop their vehicles.
Bihar, one of India's least developed states, is known for its high crime rate.
Police said they had urged school authorities not to allow students to venture out on their own and warned students to be wary of strangers.
"We are trying to pacify the people and have assured them we will nab the killers very soon," Jai Prakash Roy, a senior police officer, told Reuters.
The trouble in Patna started after the body of a 14-year-old boy, missing since Sunday, was found with stab wounds by a rail track near the city, a senior police officer said.
At least 900 people, mostly children, have been kidnapped for ransom in the state this year compared to about 2,000 in 2006, officials say.
"Crime is common, we want peace," some among the hundreds of protesters shouted. Others, armed with sticks, beat up drivers who hesitated to stop their vehicles.
Bihar, one of India's least developed states, is known for its high crime rate.
Police said they had urged school authorities not to allow students to venture out on their own and warned students to be wary of strangers.
"We are trying to pacify the people and have assured them we will nab the killers very soon," Jai Prakash Roy, a senior police officer, told Reuters.
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