Day curfew lifted in riot-hit old city

Hyderabad, Apr 5 : The indefinite curfew clamped in the old city of Hyderabad in the wake of killing of two people since March 27 was lifted for nine hours from 0800 hrs today, providing the much-needed relief to the common man.With normalcy returning to the city after posting of nearly 30 companies of central para-military forces, besides state police personnel, including the elite OCTOPUS personnel, the authorities decided to lift curfew during day time. ''If the present situation continued, curfew could be lifted fully in a couple of days,'' Additional Commissioner of Police (Coordination) Ch D.Tirumala Rao told mediapersons. Mr Rao warned that ''if the situation takes a bad turn, we will have no option but to reimpose curfew''.As a precautionary measure, prohibitory orders were promulgated in the entire city. Police also urged political party leaders not to organise any processions or 'dharnas' as the same might prove detrimental to peace. Police also banned pillion riding on two-wheelers by adult men from 2300 hrs to 0600 hrs to avoid any trouble by miscreants. Indefinite curfew was first imposed in 17 police station limits of South Zone on March 29 and extended to eight more police station limits in West, Central and East zones as violence spread to these zones.Police had so far arrested 165 people in connection with 152 cases between March 27 and March 31, while another 100 people were let off after taking them into preventive custody. No breakthrough had been achieved into the murder cases so far.
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