Search the Internet          Tips

Bandh successful and peaceful in UP

The bandh called by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad received an unusually good response from traders in Uttar Pradesh where most shops and commercial establishments downed shutters to mark their protest against the terrorist strike in Gandhinagar.

"No untoward incident has been reported from any part of the state, the situation was peaceful and well under control," Principal Home Secretary Pradeep Kumar told rediff.com.

However, there were stray incidents of minor violence in the state capital Lucknow.

"A few youths were arrested for damaging a few parked cars in downtown Hazratganj," Lucknow District Magistrate Navneet Sehgal said.

The success of the bandh in Lucknow can be partly attributed to the fact that Thursday happens to be the weekly holiday for most markets in the city.

What came as a surprise to many, however, was the response of Muslims to the bandh in communally sensitive Kanpur, the state's industrial hub.

"All markets, even in Muslim dominated areas, were closed on Thursday," Tarun Khanna, a leading Kanpur industrialist, said.

"While condemning the Gandhinagar incident, the local qazi (priest) sent word to all Muslim traders to down their shutters," he said.

Confirming this, Kanpur Deputy Inspector General of Police R R Bhatnagar said, "This is worthy of appreciation."

Reports from other parts of the state, including Bareilly, Moradabad, Allahabad, Agra, Meerut and Varanasi also described the bandh as 'successful and peaceful'.

In adjoining Uttaranchal, the bandh was total. "It was one of those rare occasions when everyone, cutting across political as well as caste and religious lines, came together to mark their protest against the terrorist attack on the Swaminarayan temple in Gandhinagar," a government spokesman said.

The Temple Attack: Complete Coverage
The Swaminarayan sect

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report