Situation tense in Bareilly, more areas under curfew

"After largescale violence in which nearly 20 people, including an SP and some other policemen were injured, curfew has been extended to Subhash Nagar police station area. The situation is tense but under control," they said.

With this, curfew has been imposed in five police station areas of the city.
Protesting against release of Sunni cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan arrested on charges of inciting a mob resulting in communal clashes, members of a community indulged in arson and brick-batting in Sanjay Nagar and Subhash Nagar localities on Friday.

Several shops and vehicles were torched by the mob which also opened fire at a number of places in the city following which heavy force has been deployed throughout  the district to avert further trouble.

"Fresh reinforcement is being sent to the trouble-hit areas of the city to control the situation," the sources said.

Nine officers, including PAC commandant Jyoti Narain, four additional SPs and four deputy superintendents are already here.

The mob defied curfew in four police station areas of Prem Nagar, Qila, Baradari and Kotwali.

In a bid to control the mob, police had used tear gas shells and fired rubber bullets.
"After yesterday's violence it has been decided not to relax curfew till situation normalises and to keep all educational institutes closed," the sources said.

The government has also provided a helicopter to police for aerial monitoring of the situation in the trouble-hit areas of the district, they said.