Bangalore, March 1: Two persons were killed in violence that broke out today in two Karnataka towns over a Kannada translation of an article by Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen in a local newspaper.

Both deaths — one in police firing and the other from injuries in an assault — took place in Shimoga, chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s home district where mobs burnt vehicles and looted shops, police said. Clashes also broke out in Hassan town.

The violence started after marches by protesters who claimed the article hurt religious sentiments. The article, about burqa worn by Muslim women, was published in yesterday’s edition of Kannada Prabha.

Around 20 persons were picked up in both towns. Prohibitory orders have been clamped in Bangalore as a precautionary measure.