Curfew timings cut short in riot-hit parts of Hyderabad

Hyderabad, April 9 : With further improvement in the situation in riot-hit parts of Hyderabad, the police Friday said curfew relaxation was being extended from 12 to 17 hours.Police Commissioner A.K. Khan told reporters that curfew would remain in force from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in areas under 25 police stations. The decision, which will come into effect from Friday, was taken after Friday prayers passed off peacefully. "The prayers were offered in a peaceful atmosphere and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere," Khan said. Elaborate security arrangements were made at the Mecca Masjid in the old city and hundreds of other mosques to maintain law and order. For the last three days, the curfew timings were from 6 p.m to 6 a.m. Though the situation had almost returned to normal, police continued with the restriction in view of the Friday prayers. The police commissioner said a decision on lifting the curfew totally would be taken in a day or two. The riots, which broke out March 27, following a dispute over putting up of religious flags, left three people dead and over 150 injured. The police commissioner said 181 cases were registered in connection with the violence and 250 people have been arrested. Special teams have been formed to identify and arrest those who were spreading rumours through SMSes.
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