Samajwadi Party oin Tuesday demanded Central intervention for restoration of normalcy in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh which has been under curfew for a fortnight following communal tension.

Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party members sought a probe into the incidents there and attacked the Mayawati government alleging that it was indifferent to the plight of the people.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Ramgopal Yadav (SP) said because of the curfew people were not able to meet basic needs like food and medicine.

He said while the city was under tension, officials were busy in the rally organised by the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party on Monday.

Observing that Hindus and Muslims were living peacefully there, Yadav said the Centre should intervene so that normalcy is restored.

Joining him, Rashid Alvi (Cong) said the situation there was very serious. Alvi said he was prevented from visiting the troubled city and arrested at Ghaziabad today.

Alleging that the ruling party spent a whopping Rs 200 crore for the rally, he said no state minister has visited the city. He also expressed dismay over the manner in which the chief minister was garlanded by currency notes.

He demanded a judicial probe into the issue and action against the erring officials. S S Ahluwalia (BJP) said shops of Sikhs were burnt and extremely backward people were feeling threatened and demanded a probe into the incidents.