Indian state tense after two killed

India sent 1,000 paramilitary reinforcements to a tense northeastern state and bolstered other security measures yesterday after two people were killed by police firing in a protest against moves to give residency rights to outsiders, officials said.

Authorities also cut mobile internet services and blocked SMS messages in the Arunachal Pradesh state capital Itanagar and other badly hit regions amid fears of new unrest.

Violence broke out Friday during protests by groups opposed to a reported plan to give permanent resident certificates to some tribes who have been established in the state for decades.

The protests spread and government properties and vehicles around Itanagar were attacked.

One crowd threw stones and ransacked the residence of the state deputy chief minister late Sunday and were marching on the chief minister Pema Khandu's residence when police opened fire, killing two people.

Khandu yesterday sought to ease the anger, saying the government was not moving forward with the proposal that would make six tribal groups eligible for quotas of jobs and college places reserved for locals.