BANGALORE India Oct 9: Army troops today pattolled this southern Indian city as authorities scrapped an Urdu language news bulletin on television which sparked widespread violence leaving 18 people dead, reports AFt‘

Soldiers In battle fatigues marched through nine < urfew-bound districts of Bangalore, capital of Karnataka state helping to maintain peace in a city that police said was still tense.

The troops were backed by hundreds of federal paramilitary forces and police armed with orders to shoot rioters at sight.

’The city Is peaceful com pared to the last two davs but ■till tense.' Bangalore polit e commissioner P Kodandara miah said. "Wt do get tele

phone Culls of sporadic Incidents of stone throwing."

The Karnataka government meanwhile announced it was scrapping a 10-minute evening Urdu-language news bulletin on the state-owned television network which sparked frenzied protests on Friday.

"From tomorrow the Urdu bulletin will be stopped'. Karnataka Chief Minister Ve-erappa Molly announced late on Saturday.

Police shot dead seven demonstrators who took to the streets on Friday to demand an end to the Urdu bulletins, which they said was aimed at appeasing the Muslim community. Urdu is spoken in India mainly by Muslims

The protesters, all Hindus, were drawn from the state's majority Kannada-language

speakers, who alleged that the Urdu bulletins were aimed at winning Muslim votes in elections in Karnataka scheduled in November and December

The police firing and widespread vandalism that followed instead led to Hindu-Muslim violence across this bustling metropolis of nearly four million in which 11 people were stabbed to death on Friday and Saturday.

Authorities first called in the paramilitary rapid action force and central reserve police force and later the army after the local police failed to put an end to the mayhem.

Kodandaramiah said some 300 people were injured in ihe violence, in which scores of vehicles, shops and houses were attacked and torched.