Curfew has been relaxed in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone on Wednesday and the administration has allowed petrol pumps to open for the first time since the city witnessed communal clashes during a Ram Navami procession on April 10.
While the curfew of 11 hours has been lifted from Madhya Pradesh's Khargone, Jodhpur continues to witness suspension of internet and curfew.
Curfew has been relaxed in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone on Wednesday and the administration has allowed petrol pumps to open for the first time since the city witnessed communal clashes during a Ram Navami procession on April 10.
Earlier, on Tuesday, a curfew was there in place for 24 hours and citizens were asked to celebrate the Eid-al-Fitr and Akshaya Tritiya festivals at home. However, the administration decided to relax the curfew from 6 am to 5 pm on Wednesday.
Petrol pumps can also be opened, but religious places will remain closed, Khargone's Sub-Divisional Magistrate Milind Dhoke told reporters on Tuesday night. Passenger buses will be allowed to operate during curfew relaxation, he said. On Tuesday, the festivities were low-key in Khargone as people remained indoors.
As many as 97 people have been arrested so far in connection with communal clashes over the hoisting of a flag before Eid in Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's constituency Jodhpur where curfew continued in 10 police station areas for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
The situation is under control and no fresh incident of violence has been reported, police said. Nearly 1000 policemen have been deployed to maintain law and order. The Jodhpur deputy commissioner of police had issued orders imposing a curfew besides suspending mobile internet services
Members of a minority community were installing Eid flags and they put up a flag on a roundabout alongside the statue of freedom fighter Balmukund Bissa. This led to a confrontation as members belonging to another community alleged that a saffron flag, which they had put up there ahead of Parshuram Jayanti, had gone missing.
According to reports by Times Now, communal clashes also broke out in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Eid, after the administration disallowed the Eid celebration in Jama Masjid, Srinagar fearing violence after prayers.
Another report by India Today states that stone pelting was reported outside on mosque in Kashmir after an unidentified person raised the slogan of ‘free Kashmir’ during the Eid celebration.
(with PTI inputs)