Published: 4:41PM Wednesday August 29, 2007
Source: Reuters
Police closed the Taj Mahal and placed parts of Agra city under
curfew after Indian Muslims burned trucks and battled police to
protest the deaths of four community members hit by a lorry.
The accident occurred around dawn in Agra when the men were
returning after marking "Shab-e-Barat", or the "night of
forgiveness or atonement", when Muslims pray for the dead.
Angry crowds set fire to 11 trucks, including the one involved in
the accident, said state police officer Brij Lal.
"With curfew imposed in six police circles of Agra, the area in and
around Taj Mahal is also completely shut to public as a
precautionary measure," Lal said.
Television footage showed smoke billowing over one neighbourhood,
young Muslims clashing with police and a line of trucks burning
fiercely.
"They are hurling bricks at police sent to stop the violence in one
area but the situation is coming under control as our people are on
the job," Lal added.
Schools and colleges were ordered shut in the crowded city as
police tried to quell the violence, officials said.
The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum
for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Attracting around 20,000 visitors every
day, the monument was completed in 1648 after 17 years of
construction by 20,000 workers.
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