FANS of Nepalese Prashant Tamang were elated when the former policeman became the surprise winner of the Indian Idol singing contest. But the happiness quickly turned to anger after an allegedly insulting remark made by a radio DJ towards Mr Tamang sparked off a riot in Siliguri, West Bengal, on Friday. Indian troops were called out to keep the peace after more than 30 people were hurt in clashes between police and fans of the 24-year-old Idol winner, wire agencies reported. The violence erupted after nearly 2,000 supporters of Mr Tamang marched to lodge a protest over a radio jockey's derogatory comments about the Indian Idol winner. The marchers were upset DJ Jonathan Brady referred to Mr Tamang as a 'Gurkha', or guard, one of the jobs frequently held by ethnic Nepalese, who live in areas that were once part of Nepal or have migrated to India. During a live broadcast, Mr Brady said: 'Shopkeepers will now have to make their own security arrangements as Gurkhas have taken to singing.' Most ethnic Nepalese are economically marginalised. Although Mr Brady later apologised for the remarks, fans took to the streets to protest anyway. The Indian media reported that the violence was sparked off when the marchers were passing by the Siliguri Zilla Hospital. The mob was said to have blocked an ambulance that had tried to make its way through the crowd into the hospital. The marchers then allegedly assaulted everyone inside the ambulance, including the patient it was carrying. Protesters also threw stones at the ambulance and set a police jeep on fire. When residents in the area protested the attack on the ambulance, the marchers reportedly became angrier and vandalised shops in the vicinity. 'Nearly 2,000 fans of Tamang marched in a procession and submitted a memorandum to the office of (the) subdivisional officer in Siliguri (town),' state police inspector general Raj Kanojia said. 'The clashes snowballed into violence. Shopowners downed their shutters and the streets were deserted.' The mob also clashed with police when they arrived on the scene. Police fired shots in the air after teargas did not work. One person sustained bullet injuries. Eleven people, including some policemen, were hospitalised. CURFEW A curfew in Siliguri was imposed, and hundreds of soldiers and border security troops patrolled the streets as people stayed indoors. As of yesterday, soldiers were still seen patrolling the streets. Mr Tamang's supporters also called a one-day strike on Saturday in surrounding areas of Siliguri in Darjeeling district, which has a huge ethnic Nepalese population. Shops and businesses closed in response, witnesses said. Police said Mr Tamang's fans also set fire to the residence of a police official, but the flames were doused before they could cause much damage. On Friday, Mr Tamang publicly appealed to his fans to end the violence. 'I urge you all to maintain calm, otherwise I may not be able to concentrate on my career,' Mr Tamang said in an appeal on a private TV channel in Bengali and Nepali. He added that he would take legal action against the DJ for his slur. The state government has also ordered the radio station, Red FM, to explain itself by this evening. 'The remarks are in violation of the programme code,' the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement, which also branded the station 'racist and insulting'.