NEW DELHI. Dec 31: Authorities clamped an indefinite curfew on a north IndiAn town today after Muslims marching to offer prayers at the site of a demolished mosque clashed with police, domestic news agencies reported, says Reuter

They said a group of Muslim youths turned violent after they were beaten back by mounted police tn Falzabad town, some seven km (four miles) from the disputed site tn Ayodhya. centre of vicious

Hindu-Muslim riots earlier this month.

The Press Trust of India (PT1) said nearly 1.000 Muslim devotees who gathered at a mosque in town courted arrest after they were barred from marching to Ayodhya.

The United News of India (UNI) said police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd of about 2,000 Muslims and added that several people were injured. It did not give details

The Ayodhya site, where militant Hindus pulled down

an ancient mosque on December 6, triggering a wave of sectarian violence across India. Is sacred to both Hindus and Muslims. Some 1,200 people died in the religious riots.

IT! from laxknow says, the Naib Imam of Delhi Jame Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari left here for Ayodhya to offer Namaz at the disputed site.

He told PTI shortly before his departure that though his entry In Ayodhya has been banned, he would go ahead

with his scheduled programme and defy the prohibitory orders.

Offering of namaz is a fundamental right of a Muslim,' Bukhari said adding that it was strange that the other community has been allowed darshan at the site while mt norities were being prevented from performing namaz.'

If offering of namaz is Ilie gal, then the demolition of the mosque and darshan is also Illegal.' he said.

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