Lucknow, January 27
A 24-hour curfew was imposed in Kotwali circle in Gorakhpur after one person was killed and two injured in arson and rioting as members of two communities clashed on early Saturday morning.

Describing the situation as “under control” SSP Gorakhpur Raja Srivastava told TNS that there has been no untoward incident since curfew was imposed at noon today.

Tension started at DAV College in Ismailpur locality early this morning when some guests of a wedding reception picked up a fight with the orchestra party at around 1 a.m.

As the angry orchestra party was leaving the venue in a huff it ran into the rear end of a grand Mohurrum procession that was coming from Nizampur imambara and was passing just outside the reception venue at that time. It included at least 30 camels and had young men displaying traditional martial arts.

In the confusion some members of the orchestra party reportedly directed their anger at the procession by hurling stones and hurting one young man Mushtaq originally from Ballia.

In retaliation some members of the procession entered the wedding venue, smashed vehicles and injured one 25-year old Raj Kumar Agarhari, who later succumbed to his injuries on way to the hospital.

As news of the clash spread to other parts of the city rioting mobs rushed towards the Ismailpur area forcing the police to fire in the air.

Tension mounted when local BJP MP Adityanth visited the house of the deceased this morning following which some members of his entourage reportedly started pelting stones at a sufi shrine just opposite the house.

That is when the police decided to impose curfew in the Kotwali Circle covering three police stations - Rajghat, Tewaripur and Kotwali. Heavy police deployment was ordered and the ADG Law and Order was to arrive in the city some time later in the evening to personally monitor the situation.