IN CONTROL: The heavy police `bandobust' at the Mecca Masjid ensured that Friday prayers passed off peacefully. — PHOTO: Satish. H

HYDERABAD: It was a peaceful Friday, the second after the bomb explosion in Mecca Masjid in old city, even as the police went into security overdrive not allowing youngsters below 15 years of age inside the historic mosque.

Apparently annoyed at the unexpected embargo on their entry, some youths hurled stones on police after joining their friends who were returning from the mosque after noon prayers near Moghalpura. Police had to resort to mild cane charge to disperse them within minutes.

The stone-pelting youngsters targeted a police patrolling vehicle too. But the situation was brought under control soon with a fleet of police vehicles zooming into the area.

The policemen in riot gear initially appealed to agitated youngsters to remain calm but put their batons into use as the latter refused to relent.

Barring these stray incidents, the Friday prayers at all mosques in the city went off peacefully. The tight security arrangements of police made many namazis coming to Mecca Masjid uneasy.

This and blocking of the roads between Ladbazar and Sardar Mahal to Mecca Masjid on either side of Charminar invited the wrath of MIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi.

He argued with police officials urging them to remove the barbed fencing on the road.

"In the name of security, you are restraining people, who are bold enough to come to the mosque for prayers despite the blast," he told the police. Mr. Owaisi said people from all parts of the city came to the mosque for Friday prayers just to prove that blasts would not disturb them.

Probe status

Meanwhile, City Police Commissioner Balwinder Singh told reporters that they have stumbled upon some key links in the Mecca Masjid blast case.

"We're examining the video footage recorded by a television news channel minutes before the blast at the mosque and are trying to identify the suspects," he said replying to question.

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