Four killed in Andhra group clash in land dispute

Hyderabad, June 12 (IANS) Four people were killed and 20 others injured Tuesday in a clash between two groups in a dispute over a piece of land in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district, police said.

The clash took place at Lakshmipuram village in Vangara mandal of Srikakulam district in north coastal Andhra Pradesh, about 700 km from here.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has ordered a probe into the incident.

The rival groups attacked each other with bombs and sharp-edged weapons, according to police.

While two persons died on the spot, two others died from injuries at a hospital at Rajam town.

One of the groups was said to have taken advantage of the situation as most of the policemen in the area were sent for deployment for Tuesday's by-election from the Narsannapet assembly constituency in the district.

The clash sent panic among the villagers, who complained that police reached there after nearly three hours.

In Hyderabad, the chief minister ordered a probe into the incident and directed the district collector to pay compensation of Rs.1 lakh each to the kin of the dead and Rs.25,000 each to the injured.