Curfew continues in Surat, bandh partial in MP

Curfew was relaxed in Athwa police station area and on the outskirts of Katargam and Ved road of the city from Friday noon, but it remained in force in Mahidharpura, Katargam and Chawk Bazar areas.

In Athwa area, curfew was relaxed from noon to 4 pm while on the outskirts of Katargam and Ved road areas, it was relaxed from noon to 9 pm, police said. The situation in the textile city was peaceful and under control.

The situation in Ahmedabad, Vadodadra and other parts of the State returned to normal, sources added.

Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya reviewed the law and order situation by visiting the trouble-torn areas and held a meeting with police officials to discuss measures to control the situation. The civic fire fighters attended fifty calls of arson till wee hours on Friday, fire brigade sources said.

District Collector Singa Singh asked school and college remained closed as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh the bandh evoked a mixed response with no untoward incident reported from anywhere in the State.

"The bandh has been totally peaceful so far and it has affected mainly shops," an official at the State police headquarters said.

City police said a school bus was stopped while a state roadways bus was damaged by some miscreants in the morning. Business establishments and shops in most parts of the state capital remained closed.

A report from Morena said Bajrang Dal and VHP volunteers took out a protest rally in the town. Similar reports were pouring in from various parts of the state where educational institutions also remained closed.

Madhya Pradesh Assembly mourned the deaths of Amarnath pilgrims. The Speaker Sriniwas Tiwari, State Planning Minister Hazarilal Raghuvanshi, senior BJP member Babulal Gaur and others paid tributes and expressed anguish over the massacres.

The Speaker later adjourned the House for five minutes as a mark of respect to the victims of massacres.