Two people were killed and dozens injured in northern India during clashes after a Koranic school and an Islamic place of worship were destroyed on Thursday, local authorities said today.

The clashes took place in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani district after the destruction of these two buildings which the municipality said were constructed without permission.

“Police have been ordered to open fire on the rioters,” local official Vandana Sikh, who also announced the toll, told reporters.

Among the injured were police officers who were taken to several hospitals, he added, clarifying that vehicles were set on fire.

Authorities have declared curfews, school closures, internet blackouts and bans on gatherings.

The riots come amid rising sectarian tensions since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014.

In January, Modi inaugurated a temple in Ayodhya, in the north of the country, built on the site of a centuries-old mosque that was demolished by Hindu fanatics in 1992.