Police in an eastern Indian city dispersed crowds of angry Hindus who were chanting slogans Friday against Muslims whom they blamed for vandalism to statues of Hindu gods.
State officials said they would seek the army's help if roving mobs in the city of Gaya began to target Muslims, after the small statues were found broken.
Police said Hindu fundamentalist groups were taking advantage of the incident to whip up religious tension.
Constables used batons to disperse the crowds, police chief Ravindra Sankaran said.
The trouble came at a time when Buddhists from across the world have assembled in Gaya for Kalachakra prayers, the biggest annual gathering of Tibetans and other Buddhists of the Mahayana sect. The prayers are held at the Bodh Gaya religious complex on the outskirts of the city, where Buddhists believe the founder of the religion attained enlightenment.
Gaya is 120 kilometers (75 miles) southeast of Patna, capital of eastern Bihar state.
Hindus and Buddhists have had several disagreements over control of the Bodh Gaya complex. Hindus who say Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism and not a separate religion sit on the committee that controls the site, while Buddhists object.
There are also differences between Tibetan Buddhists who have gathered to hear the Dalai Lama officiate at the prayers, and Indian Buddhists who object to some of his policies and are offended at Tibetans keeping their shoes on when entering temples.
Some 100 paramilitary soldiers have already been deployed in the city, government administrator Chandra Sirohi told The Associated Press. Two weeks ago, a similar incident of Hindu idols being broken had sparked street violence in the city, but the situation had soon returned to normal.