U.S. flag burnt in Lucknow

LUCKNOW, SEPT. 21. Muslim organisations today burnt an American flag here protesting ``the reign of terror perpetrated against Muslims and their places of worship'' in Western countries following last week's terrorist strikes in the U.S.

Activists of Tanzeem-e-Paasdaran-e-Hussain, All-India Shia Samaj, Hussaini Tigers and Ali Congress assembled outside the Asifi mosque after Friday prayers and shouted anti-U.S. and anti-Bush slogans before burning a U.S. flag.

Addressing the gathering, speakers held the U.S. responsible for ``terrorist activities all over the world'' and said ``now that it is at the receiving end, the U.S. is working to generate world opinion against terrorism.''

``Islam is against terrorism of all kinds,'' the speakers, including eminent Shia scholar, Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, said.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura and around all vital installations in Uttar Pradesh after reports of circulation of leaflets warning India against backing the possible U.S. military attack on Afghanistan were received from some parts of the State.

There were also reports that some fundamentalist groups were attempting to disturb communal harmony in sensitive districts, official sources said.

A group of youths had last week hurled leaflets eulogising Osama bin laden in a public school in Agra while posters were circulated in parts of Aligarh by SIMI activists against the U.S. and Israel. Similar reports came in from the sensitive Muzaffarnagar and Kanpur districts also.

The Principal Secretary (Home), Mr. Naresh Dayal, said there were intelligence reports of some fundamentalist groups trying to vitiate communal harmony, and security had been tightened in all sensitive places. The Government had also taken the burning of the American flag seriously.

Meanwhile, the DGP, Mr. R.K. Pandit, said in Allahabad that steps had been taken to monitor the activities of militant organisations. On the anti-national activities originating from Nepal, he said the Special Services Bureau (SSB) had been entrusted the task of manning districts along the Indo-Nepal border. The border districts would be handed over to the SSB by December next.

- PTI

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