Police put on high alert after violence in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow, Aug 18 (IANS) Police in Uttar Pradesh were put on high alert Saturday and the intelligence set-up was spruced up following violence after 'alvida namaaz' in this Uttar Pradesh capital city Friday, a senior police offical said.

People who had gathered to protest last week's violence against Muslims in Assam and Myanmar vandalized statues and uprooted plants in a park, damaged private vehicles and cars, and attacked media personnel near the legislative assembly compelx here Friday.

Six people, identified through pictures and videography of the protests, were arrested Saturday and booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Meanwhile, curfew imposed in the Chowk area of Allahabad after heavy stone pelting and violence was lifted Saturday, though the police deployment in the violence-hit areas remained high.

The principal secretary (Home) and the director general of police (DGP) have sent missives to all district police chiefs asking them to be alert and avoid violence at all costs.

"Following intelligence inputs on mischief mongers trying to create trouble out of the Assam and Myanmar violence, we have spruced up the law and order machinery," DGP A.C. Sharma told IANS.

Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Rapid Action Force (RAF)personnel have been deputed in sensitive places, railway and bus stations and markets, police officials said.

In a related development, the state unit of the BJP has decided to hold an "Assam bachao, Desh bachao" (Save Assam, Save India) programme from August 23.

The BJP's media in-charge Harish Chandra Srivastava said that the situation in Assam was very serious and the BJP cannot sit quiet, watching the state go up in flames.

Under the five-day programme, sit-ins would be held and processions taken out across the state and funds would be collected for displaced families of Assam.