Lucknow peaceful after Ayodhya verdict, markets shut

LUCKNOW - Lucknow remained peaceful after the Ayodhya verdict was delivered as markets closed and most of the streets were deserted in the afternoon as the judgment was to be announced.

“The situation in this state capital remained entirely peaceful. No incident of violence was reported from any part of the city,” Lucknow police spokesman A.K. Srivastava told IANS.

“Maintaining the law and order was quite a challenging task. As now we have fulfilled it, we think it is definitely a big achievement for us. I would like to thank the locals here who extended their full co-operation and support to us,” he added.

In several areas, including Qaiserbagh, Chowk, Aminabad, Chaupatia, commercial establishments were closed in the afternoon and virtually no civilians could be spotted moving on the roads.

Security personnel armed with sophisticated weapons were all pervasive in these localities.

“I went out in the afternoon to purchase some edibles from a nearby shop and it virtually appeared a curfew-like situation on the roads,” Rohit Prakash, a PhD student of Lucknow University and residing in Qaiserbagh, told IANS. The high court is in this area only.

“When I did not spot any people moving on the road, I even stopped for a while to enquire with the security personnel whether a curfew has been imposed in the area. When they said no, I heaved a sigh of relief and left the place,” he added.

The scene in the otherwise bustling Aminabad area was no different.

“The entire Gwyene road of Aminabad always remains agog with activities…Commercial establishments in the area open at around 8 in the morning close at 10 p.m. But a majority of the commercial outlets were closed by afternoon,” said Chandra Sen Pandey, a lawyer and resident of the area.

“Even small and make-shift shops selling items like betel, cigarettes too were closed by the afternoon. We could only hear police sirens and sound of heavy boots of the security personnel,” he added.

Ritesh Dwivedi, a college student in the Chaupatia area, said: “As silence enveloped the entire locality, we for some time thought that curfew was imposed in the area. But after we saw the TV news channels it became clear that no restrictions were imposed by the police or district administration.”