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AHMEDABAD, India, Tuesday (Reuters) India's communally volatile Gujarat state, the scene last year of some of the country's worst religious violence, could witness fresh clashes as Hindus and Muslims remain mutually suspicious, analysts said.

Memories of last year's violence, the country's worst in a decade, and the failure of authorities to build trust among the two communities could cause even a minor incident to ignite a clash between Hindus and minority Muslims, they said. Three Muslims were killed and more than 30 injured in Viramgam, west of Ahmedabad, Gujarat's main city, in Hindu-Muslim clashes that were sparked by a minor argument over a children's cricket match.

Analysts said Sunday's violence was an indication that passions still ran high in the state, which is also one of India's most industrialised.

"The atmosphere (in Gujarat) is still surcharged. The Viramgam incident only shows that peace is fragile," political analyst Achyut Yagnik told Reuters.

"It will take a long time before such clashes stop completely. Muslims have become the object of hatred for the collective consciousness of Hindus," said Hanif Lakdawala, director of Sanchetana, a voluntary group. He said last year's riots and the subsequent inability of the state to punish Hindus who attacked Muslims had also made the minority community insecure and driven them into ghettos.

"The ghettoisation of Muslims has gained pace. This will also embolden them to clash with Hindus," Lakdawala said.

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