Relaxation in UP curfew following protests

Allahabad/Agra, Sep 3: Curfew, clamped in both the cities of Uttar Pradesh, was today relaxed after the situation returned to normal.

The district administration of Allahabad has lifted the curfew for three hours from 0900 hrs to 1200 hrs in the five station areas after noticing improvement in the situation, while, schools and colleges remained closed today from security point of view.

Curfew was imposed in five police station areas of the holy city of Allahabad, following violence that had engulfed the district after rumour gripped Kaladanda area that some pages of a holy book were being set ablaze.

Thousands of people took to streets following which curfew had been imposed in Kareli, Atarsuia, Shahganj, Khuldabad, Kotwali and Rajroop police outpost of the Dhoomanganj police station.

Several police personnel, including two sub-inspectors, were grievously wounded in the protest, in which two police vehicles were also torched.

The mob had gheraoed the Kareli police station and raised slogans. Three youth were injured after police opened fire and lobbed tear gas shells.

Similarly, curfew, which was clamped at Taj city following violence over the death of four youths, had been relaxed during the day time in Mantola and Nai ki Mandi today.

Senior Police Superintendent Hari Ram Sharma told UNI