Firing & curfew in Lucknow over Imam’s arrest

Shia leader Kalbe Jawad, who was leading the procession, was taken into custody. Protesters coming out from different lanes of the old city tried to join the main procession, but hundreds of them were arrested.

Principal Secretary (Home) Harish Chandra Gupta said that all senior administrative and police officers were personally supervising the law and order arrangements.

The Shia Muslim community leaders have been demanding lifting of the ban imposed on taking out the azadari procession following stiff opposition from the Sunni community, twenty years ago.

According to Gupta, separate talks were held with the leaders of both the sects of the Muslim community on Monday night for resolving the conflict.He said the Shia leaders had agreed to heed the appeal by Chief Minister Mayawati and other leaders and assured that no azadari procession will be taken out on the chehallum day.

The Sunni sect leaders had also reciprocated the sentiments and assured that no problem will be created from their side.

However, the situation changed following reports that Maulana Abdullah Bukhari, who had left Delhi for Lucknow, had been detained by the Uttar Pradesh government authorities at Ghaziabad.

This development infuriated the Shia community and their leader Maulana Kalbe Jawad declared at a hurriedly called-meeting that the entire community should be ready to defy the ban on taking out the azadari procession on the occasion.

The maulana was reported to have said at the meeting that if Imam Bhukhari was not allowed to join them on chehallum, then a massive alam procession would be taken out from the Asafi Imambara today. However, Imam Bukhari, who was detained in Ghaziabad on charges of breach of peace, was freed late in the evening with a warning against trying to re-enter Lucknow in the prevailing situation there.

Ordering his release from a makeshift jail in PAC guest house here, the city magistrate, Ved Prakash, warned Imam Bukhari that if he failed to refrain from re-entering the state capital he would again be charged with breach of peace.

The Imam and five other Muslim leaders were arrested yesterday when they were travelling by train to Lucknow in connection with the azadari dispute.