Curfew imposed in fourth police station area

Gorakhpur, Jan 29: Amid protests following the arrest of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Yogi Aditya Nath, curfew was clamped in Gorakhnath police station area this afternoon.

Curfew in Kotwali, Tiwaripur and Rajghat areas has already been imposed after a communal clash on Friday night and shoot-at-sight orders issued against violators. Besides, section 144 (prohibitory orders) was imposed in other police station areas.

Gorakhpur District Magistrate P K Agarwal said, ''the decision to impose curfew in Gorakhnath area was taken after the situation went out of control.'' ''No one would be allowed to disturb the law and order situation in Gorakhpur and violate section 144, 'whosoever' he might be. Anyone found indulging in violence would not be spared,'' Mr Agarwal maintained.

He said adequate police had been deployed to avoid any fresh violence.

Mr Nath and his aides were arrested in Chauri Chaura area, when they were on way to Gorakhpur from Kushinagar yesterday.

Agitated by Mr Nath's arrest, his supporters torched a Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) bus under Cantonment police station area. The mob could only be pacified after the resorted to police lathicharge.

Fifty people including MLA Dr Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, MLC Dr Y D Singh, BJP leader Shiv Pratap Shukla were arrested for violating section 144 yesterday.

Irked over the incident, the mob set afire an UPSRTC bus under Khorabhar police station area.

Meanwhile, all educational institutes have been closed till January 30.

Miscreants had opened fire at a 'baraat' procession on Friday night, in which over 24 persons were wounded in Ismailpur under Kotwali police station area.

Some people, trying to escape the shootout, entered a moharram procession nearby, leading to a clash between the two groups. The situation turned tense after a wounded Raj Kumar Agrahari died at Gorakhpur Medical College.

UNI