AHMEDABAD — The Indian army patrolled riot-hit areas of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat on Thursday after the death toll rose to seven in two days of caste-related violence. Clashes spread after police arrested a young leader of the influential Patel clan who led a huge rally on Tuesday to demand more government jobs and college places for members of his community. The breakdown of law and order revived memories of serious rioting in 2002 in which more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, died. “Six protesters and a police officer have lost their lives and 18 people are critically injured,” said Keshav Shah, a senior police officer in the state capital Gandhinagar. “Schools, business and private offices will not open today. The mood is tense and no one should venture out,” he said, adding that a curfew would remain in force. The Patels, or Patidar community, make up 14 percent of the population in Gujarat. A relatively affluent group of land- and business-owners, they had been a bulwark of support for Modi. — Reuters