The four casualties of the riots were killed in police fire as officers resorted to live ammunition to bring the rival brawlers under control in the city of Dhule on Sunday night. They also used sticks, teargas and plastic bullets to bring the rioters to heal.

Over 113 police were among the injured.

Investigations are still underway into the root causes of the brawl, but police say a dispute over a restaurant bill in an establishment triggered the unrest. The antagonistic parties in the dispute are suspected by police to be from rival Muslim and Hindu communities.