Violence On, Peace Rally Held

Local news channel TV9, together with prominent figures of Hyderabad's social life arranged a peace rally today at People's Plaza, Necklace Road, where hundreds of Hyderabadis of all communities met and together lit candles in mark of their peace protest. The peace protest was attended by various political leaders, movie artists, and heads of news channels.

There were several slogans raised at the march, including some that miscreants should be witheld and punished severely, and the more peaceful "Hindu Muslim Bhai bhai."

The peace rally indeed seems like a world apart from a city that saw violence creep in to usually peaceful areas. "Shoot-on-sight" orders were issued by Commissioner of Police A K Khan, which means any person seen (or assumed as) by police to be creating trouble will be shot at. With saffron-tinted activists belligerently taking to the roads on motorbikes, coinciding their retaliation to yesterday's clashes, there were fears across the whole of the city that the tension would blow up into a full-fledged riot.

Incidents such as one that occured at Kulsumpura Karwan - where one person was hit on the head by miscreants pelting boulders, killing him on the spot while the pillion rider was severely injured - continued throughout the day in the city.

With violence still largely prevalent throughout the city, Afzalgunj, Begumbazaar, Tappachabutra, Mangal House, Shah Inayat Gunj, Hafeez Nagar, Habeeb Nagar, Tappachabutra, Kalsampura were also added to the 'under the curfew' zone. The Xth SSC exams in these areas have been indefinitely postponed.