Two persons were killed, one of them in police firing, and four others injured on Monday during protests by Muslims against an article of Taslima Nasreen on a vernacular daily in Shimoga town of Karnataka.

The authorities imposed an overnight curfew in four trouble-hit localities in old Shimoga, under the southern Indian state.

One died in police firing and the other died at hospital who was injured in stone pelting during the protests, police said.

A strong crowd took out a procession to express their anger over the Kannada translation of Taslima's article published in a leading Kannada daily on veil.

The procession turned violent as some persons pelted some vehicles with stones. At least 20 vehicles, including eight state transport corporation buses, were damaged.

Police said as the situation threatened to go out of control, they opened fire, killing a person. Police said four others injured in stone-pelting have been hospitalised.

Prohibitory orders were also imposed on the entire city and additional reinforcements of police rushed, Superintendent of Police S Murugan said.

Nearby Hassan town was also tense after 15,000 Muslims held a protest rally and submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner.

Several vehicles were damaged in stone pelting and some shops were torched, police said.

Yeddyurappa, who made a statement in the state legislature on the violence in Shimoga and Hassan, said "the situation is under control now".

He said cases have been booked against those involved in violence.

Sensing trouble over the article, the police heads in all districts were alerted itself, he said, adding a strict vigil was being maintained.

Indian government had recently extended by six months the visa of Taslima till August this year.

Holding a Swedish passport, the 47-year-old writer, who is in exile for the last 17 years, came to India recently to get her visa extended and is staying at an undisclosed destination due to security reasons.