Lucknow back to normal as probe nears completion

Lucknow, Mar 6 (UNI) While the situation in Kaiserbagh and Aminabad areas of the Uttar Pradesh capital is fast returning to normal after communal violence on Friday, the two-member high level Committee continued its probe on the second day today.

Normalcy has been restored in the affected areas as no untoward incident was reported since Friday, the District Police Chief of Lucknow Asutosh Pandey said.

The state government had appointed the two-member Committee comprising of Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) Naveen Chandra Vajpayee and Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Bua Singh to probe the violence which had seen four persons dead and several others injured.

Large-scale arson and looting had taken place during the violence in the busy market areas of Lucknow. The district administration has decided to conduct the UP Board examinations from today which had been suspended at the centres located in the troubled areas.

The Committee members visited the areas where violence took place besides meeting district officials and shopkeepers. They also visited the hospitals where the injured were admitted, and recorded their statements.

A senior district official admitted while talking to UNI that most of the victims and other affected were sore over the role of district police during the violence. In fact, the state government has already suspended In charge of Aminabad kotwali and removed city SP after the incident.

The violence had erupted when an anti-Bush procession by the Muslims turned violent, resulting in large-scale stone-pelting, arson and looting. Police had to resort to firing to control the mob.

The incident coincided with the visit of President A P J Abdul Kalam on March 3.

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