Lull in violence but Bareilly tense
Security forces on Sunday patrolled the streets while a chopper kept an aerial vigil on this communal violence-hit city where curfew remained clamped for the 12th day in most areas.
"Though situation is tense, it is completely under control and no incident of clash or violence has been reported from any part of the city since morning," they said.
However, as a preventive measure curfew has not been relaxed. Security forces including Rapid Action Force and police marched in the trouble-hit areas of the city this morning.
"As of now curfew continued in five of the six police areas -- Prem Nagar, Subhash Nagar, Kotwali, Baradari and Qila --and aerial monitoring is being done regularly to tackle any emergency situation," they said.
Around 30 shops were allegedly torched in Qutubkhana sabzi mandi, one of the oldest market in the city, yesterday.
However, the district administration later claimed that fire broke out due to short circuit. Curfew was clamped in the city on March 2 following communal clashes over a barawafat procession. Since then sporadic incidents of violence and arson had been taking place at different places in the city.
After large scale violence on Friday in which several shops and vehicles were torched by a mob, heavy force has been deployed throught the city to avert further trouble.
In a bid to restore communal harmony in trouble-hit areas of the city, the administration has planned a peace march this evening. "Selected members of all the communities have been invited to participate in the march, during which people would be appealed to maintain peace," officials said.
