At least three Muslims were burned to death yesterday when their thatched huts were set on fire during a clash between Hindu and Muslim groups in a village in eastern India, a government official said.
The violence erupted after the body of a young Hindu boy was found on a farm in Sarayian village more than a week after he went missing.
Prasad said the Hindu fishermen community blamed Muslims for killing the boy who was supposedly friendly with a Muslim girl from the village, nearly 105 kilometers (65 miles) north of Patna, the capital of Bihar state.
The charred bodies of three Muslims were found in huts set on fire, he said.
Police have arrested eight Hindu villagers for burning nearly two dozen huts in the poor Muslim community.
Elections last year bought the pro-Hindu BJP to power.
