Curfew was not lifted from the highway that divides the new and old parts of the city
A view of a street during curfew in Saharanpur a day after violent clashes between two communities over a land dispute, on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)
Lucknow: Id ul-Fitr was celebrated in a subdued manner in riot-torn Saharanpur Tuesday, with curfew relaxed in the morning for eight hours in two shifts. Id prayers were conducted amid tight security, and people with banners appealing for peace and harmony were seen heading to mosques.
Curfew was, however, not lifted from the highway that divides the new and old parts of the city. In the predominantly Muslin old city, curfew was relaxed from 7 am to 11 am, while in other areas, with a sizeable Sikh population, it was eased from 3 pm to 7 pm.
The local authorities have arrested 66 people in connection with t he violence and nine FIRs have been registered at various police stations. Mohd Ali Pappu, a former corporation councilor, has been charged with rioting, arson and conspiracy.
Meanwhile Union minister Kalraj Mishra raised suspicion that there could be Pakistani Intelligence Agency ISI's hand behind the Saharanpur incident. Mr Mishra said that during the UPA regime Rahul Gandhi had admitted that ISI was active in around 45 districts of Uttar Pradesh and the state was not doing anything to check it.
( Source : dc )
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