Inept policing encouraged Shia violence

LUCKNOW, June 27: Thursday's riots in Lucknow's Old City once again exposed the weakness and incompetence of the district administration an...

LUCKNOW, June 27: Thursday’s riots in Lucknow’s Old City once again exposed the weakness and incompetence of the district administration and posed a question mark over the Mayawati Government’s intentions in Uttar Pradesh. The administration, which was only too aware of the agitational plans of Shia leaders, had deployed 80 companies of RAF, CRPF and other para-military forces, besides clamping curfew in sensitive areas.

However, their ineptness, coupled with the meticulous planning of Shia leaders to simultaneously take out azadari processions from various parts of the old city, led to Imam Hussain’s chehellum being marred by violence.

Despite repeated assurances by Maulana Kalbe Jawwad that the agitation would be peaceful, the riots were started by the very people who accompanied him on the procession. The more immediate cause for defying ban orders was the arrest of Imam Bukhari of Jama Masjid on Wednesday.

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Prominent Shia leaders like Maulana Hamidul Hasan and Maulana Agha Ruhi did not participate in yesterday’s azadari processions led by Jawwad. “It appeared that the processionists were mourning Imam Bukhari’s arrest more than the death of Imam Hussain,” Hasan said.

However, an unrepenting Maulana Jawwad has given yet another call for an azadari procession on July 4. “Whatever happened yesterday was a result of police brutalities,” he said today.

Curfew was reduced to a farce as the administration allowed the small procession led by Jawwad to traverse about half-a-kilometer, although security forces had lined up the entire route on both sides.

Similarly, small processions were allowed to join Jawwad’s until it assumed the shape of an unruly mob. Thousands of Shias came out on the streets at exactly 1 pm, thus throwing police arrangements out of gear. Pradeep Shukla, the District Magistrate (DM), kept chiding the policemen who tried to check the brick-batting mob by flashing batons.

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The situation was so pathetic at the clash site that the police did not even have a wireless set for half-an-hour even as the sector magistrate deserted the scene while a fierce barrage of stones, bottles rained on the police.

Lucknow tense as curfew coninues

Sporadic violence and clashes between a mob and police continued to cause tension in old Lucknow, scene of yesterday’s sectarian strife. Today also Sunnis, defying curfew orders, made an unsuccessful attempt to take out a procession, leading the police charged with batons to disperse mobs which resorted to stone-pelting in some localities.

District Magistrate J S Mishra said that the overall situation in curfew-bound areas of the walled city remained tense but peaceful barring some sporadic incidents of brick-batting and police baton-charge.

Friday prayers passed off peacefully in mosques in the troubled localities.In the nakkhas area, some youth tried to take out a procession defying the curfew but were forced to abandon the plan by security forces.