A quarrel in a small coffeehouse in İnegöl, Bursa province, turned bloody when three individuals armed with knives and sticks attacked several people late Sunday night.

Three men, Mehmet Şerif S. (23), Mehmet S. (31) and Şenol S. (25), entered a coffeehouse in İnegöl's Orhaniye district and had a quarrel, in which Selahattin O. (26), Metin B. (36) and Şaban D. (47) died. People wounded in the altercation were hospitalized, and the three assailants as well as several others believed to have started riots in the town were detained. Locals said the quarrel was a result of animosity between two families, one of them from southeastern Turkey. As families of the wounded gathered in the İnegöl Police Station, news that some of the wounded had died came from the hospital. Hundreds of people then stoned the town's municipal building, demanding that the police hand over the attackers. Locals report alcohol was involved.The attackers set police cars on fire, broke the windows of a bank and threw stones at ambulances. The incidents led to the closing down of the Bursa-Ankara highway. Police have taken further precautions in the town and received backup riot police to quell the unrest. It took the police until 4 a.m. Monday to convince the rioters to stop their demonstration. Approximately 20 police officers were wounded, with some of them in need of hospitalization.Bursa Governor Şahabettin Harput, on a visit to the town following the riots, said more people will be detained in connection with the outbreak of violence after security camera footage is reviewed.“Several police officers were wounded in the incidents. The city's police station and municipal building were attacked. Some vehicles were destroyed. There is no explanation for that. It is not true that the incidents were caused by a youth group. There was probably a provocation behind this incident,” he said. After Harput's statement, 25 more people were detained. Police said more are likely to be taken in as security camera footage is inspected. The attackers set police cars on fire, broke the windows of a bank and threw stones at ambulances. Ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Bursa deputy Sedat Kızılcıklı said the incident grew from a scuffle caused by a few people. “The incident grew because alcohol and provocations were involved,” he told the Anatolia news agency. Kızılcıklı added that the cause of the incident has yet to be determined and that an investigation into the incident continues.Kızılcıklı also said the incident seems to have mutated into a Kurdish-Turkish fight because of provocations. İnegöl Mayor Alinur Aktaş said migrants have come to the town from all over Turkey but that they had never before experienced an incident of these proportions.The pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) has decided to send a committee to the town and form an intra-party commission to investigate the incident. On Monday morning, locals called for common sense to prevail as they cleaned up the debris left from the bloody conflict. Restaurant manager Şahin Okutulmuş said he was saddened by the events. “We have been living together with the Kurds, the Laz and the Circassians in İnegöl for years. Some people are trying to break up our friendship,” he said. Retired teacher Ayşe Kılıç said the incidents reminded her of the times prior to the 1980 military coup.Interior minister says people will go to polls without fearInterior Minister Beşir Atalay said yesterday that the government would not allow provocations. “We are especially sensitive before the date on which our nation will vote on a referendum,” he told the press, referring to the government's constitutional amendment package slated to go to a national vote on Sept. 12. Atalay added that the government has cut leave time for the police, gendarmerie and district officials of İnegöl, and appointed an inspector to investigate the events.“We will ensure a peaceful environment before the vote takes place,” he said. 27 July 2010, TuesdayTODAY'S ZAMAN  İSTANBUL