Madhya Pradesh: Curfew relaxed for 11 hours in Khargone, petrol pumps allowed to open

The Khargone administration has relaxed the curfew for 11 hours on Wednesday and allowed petrol pumps to open for the first time since violence took place in the Madhya Pradesh city during a Ram Navami procession on April 10, an official said. Earlier, on Tuesday, curfew was imposed for 24 hours and citizens were asked to celebrate the Eid-al-Fitr and Akshaya Tritiya festivals at home.

However, the administration decided to relax the curfew from 6 am to 5 pm on Wednesday.

Petrol pumps can also be opened, but religious places will remain closed, Khargone's Sub-Divisional Magistrate Milind Dhoke told reporters on Tuesday night.


Passenger buses will be allowed to operate during curfew relaxation, he said.

On Tuesday, the festivities were low-key in Khargone as people remained indoors.

Curfew was clamped in Khargone after the violence on April 10, during which shops and houses were damaged, vehicles torched and stones hurled.

Since April 14, the local administration has been relaxing the curfew for some hours.

During the curfew relaxation period, shops selling milk, vegetables, medicines, and barber's shops among others, are allowed to remain open.