An uneasy calm prevailed in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday after violence and arson marred Friday's protest against the alleged desecration of a holy book in Dasna locality, leaving six policemen injured.
District magistrate Aparna Upadhaya said curfew had been clamped in the riot-affected area.
Police sources said the protestors torched a police vehicle and two-three private vehicles. They also blocked the national highway and pelted stones on the car of local member of Parliament, Rajender Agarwal.
Though the Uttar Pradesh administration believes that the incident was the handiwork of anti-social elements, members of the minority community refuse to buy the argument.
As the news of the alleged desecration spread, the mob started gathering at various points and went on a rampage to express their anger.
The Delhi-Moradabad section of the NH-24 was completely jammed following the violence. Traffic had to be diverted via Vijay Nagar in Ghaziabad.
The police said they were forced to impose section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code to effect a virtual lockdown of the area in an attempt to control the situation.