Tension prevailed in Gohana town of Haryana's Sonepat district on Tuesday after a large number of Balmikis took to the streets and clashed with police to protest the murder of a youth belonging to their community.

The Balmikis set ablaze a police check-post and damaged several Haryana Roadways buses at the Gohana bus stand last night.

Police had to resort to mild baton-charge to disperse Balmikis, who in turn pelted stones at the police personnel leaving some of them injured.

Rakesh alias Lara was shot dead by three unidentified motorcycle-borne youths when he along with another youth Vikki was going to meet one of their friends in the town on Monday.

Vikki told police that the assailants after shooting down Rakesh also fired some shots in the air to scare away the people who tried to give them a chase.

Keeping in view the situation, District Magistrate D P S Nagal has enforced prohibitory orders and banned carrying of firearms within the town.

Sonepat's police chief, Navdeep Singh Virk told reporters here today that so far three youths had been arrested in connection with last night's incident.

Virk said the situation in Gohana town was tense, but under control as additional forces had been deployed to control the situation.

Rakesh was acquitted in the murder of Baljit Siwach, a financer of Garhwal village. Siwach, who belonged to the pre-dominant Jat community was murdered on August 27, 2005.

After his murder, several Dalit houses in the Balmiki Colony of Gohana town had been torched on August 31, 2005.