BHOPAL: The state capital woke up to curfew on Sunday morning. People came to know about the curfew in their areas when they got up and heard the announcement by the administration. Hamidia Road, Chhola Road and Sindhi Market — which happen to bustle with business activities on Sundays — wore a deserted look after imposition of curfew on the day. Only personnel of the police force were spotted after the roads were heavily barricaded to prevent people from coming out of their homes.
Buses were not running, so people who had walked towards the bus stand had to go back home. They said that the operation of buses had been stopped, so they could not get transport facilities. Even people who wanted to go to the railway station had to face the brunt of the curfew as the police diverted them to a lane instead of allowing them to go towards the railway station.
Business establishments, generally, remained shut on Hamidia Road, Chhola Road and Sindhi Market, which were the worst-affected due to the curfew imposed after the high court decision in favour of the RSS over a piece of land. But, despite it being a Sunday, street vendors ran their business on these roads.
SA Traders’s (Hamidia Road) Ashlam said, “Shops, generally, remain shut on Sunday in all these areas — Hamidia Road, Chhola Road and Sindhi Market. But we came to know about the curfew when we woke up. It was shocking for all of us, but, when I phoned my friend, the picture became clear to me that a land dispute between communities had resulted in the curfew being imposed.” Barfi House’s (Hamidia Road) Ajit Jain said, “We had no idea about the curfew in the night. When I woke up from sleep, I came to know that the administration had imposed a curfew. It’s shocking for all of us that, all of a sudden, the administration had imposed a curfew.”
