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Calm prevailed in the cities of Allahabad and Lucknow on Sunday, a day after law enforcement authorities imposed a curfew after cracking down on Muslim protesters. On Saturday, the police had to launch a baton charge on Muslim protesters who were demonstrating in retaliation to the recent ethnic clashes in Myanmar and Assam . On Friday, several Muslim youth came out on the streets after offering prayers at the mosque and suddenly turned violent as they attacked media persons and torched vehicles as well as public property. Police imposed curfew in the city then to avoid any untoward incident, which was lifted on Saturday morning. But it was imposed again after the protesters created a ruckus again. Shailesh Yadav, Superintendent of Police- Allahabad said that situation was under control and 15 people were arrested for their involvement in violence. “We have registered FIR (First Information Report) in the incident and have arrested 15 people for their involvement in the violence. We have deployed police force across the city in sufficient numbers. The situation is under control,” added Yadav. City was turned into fortresses with the police patrolling being intensified and troops of paramilitary Rapid Action Force was deployed in large numbers across the city. Violence forced people to remain indoors and market areas remained shut. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has urged the people to maintain peace and harmony in the state. Yadav assured strict action would be taken against those who were found to be instigating violence. “I would appeal to the people to maintain the peace in Uttar Pradesh. Strict action will be taken against people who will try to create communal discord in the state. Uttar Pradesh has been a good example of communal harmony as people from all religions have lived together happily. In past also, it was witnessed that during the time of crises brotherhood has always prevailed in the state. We are also disappointed over the attack by the mob on media persons,” Yadav said. Muslims across India have been alarmed by clashes in recent weeks between indigenous people in Assam and Muslim settlers from neighbouring Bangladesh. At least 77 people have been killed and more than 400,000 displaced there. While local tensions between Hindus and Muslims have often spread across the country, this is the first time that ethnic unrest in the remote northeast has had a domino effect across India . Two people were killed and dozens wounded last week when about 10,000 people rioted in Mumbai, following a protest by Muslims against the violence in the northeast. Talk of Muslim revenge attacks has swirled all week, with threats of brutal attacks being carried on social media and mobile phone text messages. The Assam violence was sparked off on July 20 when unidentified men killed four youths in Kokrajhar district, according to police and district officials. In retaliation, armed Bodos attacked Muslims, suspecting them of being behind the killings. Ringed by China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan, India's northeast is home to more than 200 ethnic and tribal groups and has been rocked by separatist revolts since India's independence from Britain in 1947. In recent years, Hindu and Christian tribes have vented strong anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment against Bangladeshi settlers. Meanwhile, deadly summer riots between the Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist majority in Myanmar had forced many to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh , where the European Union said 40,000 unregistered Rohingya already live in makeshift camps. A further 200,000 are living undocumented in Bangladesh , according to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Lucknow, Allahabad peaceful after Muslim protests