About half-a-dozen devotees were injured in mild cane charge by police, which was seeking to disperse an ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) procession in Allahabad.
Allahabad/Mathura, Sept. 4 : About half-a-dozen devotees were injured in mild cane charge by police, which was seeking to disperse an ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) procession in Allahabad.
Devotees had assembled in the Civil Lines area and were planning to take a different route on Monday, as they wanted to avoid the curfew-bound city's old quarters.
Police claimed that ISKCON had not obtained permission for the procession, and added that there was a ban on mass assembly following Friday's candalism by Muslims over a torn and damaged copy of the Quran.
In Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, security forces have been deployed in and around the main temple, where thousands of devotees are attending 'Janmashtami' celebrations.
Black commandos and the elite National Security Guards have also been deployed.
"A layer of security checks have been enforced in different parts of the city. Around 1,000 police officers and 16 paramilitary companies have been deployed to guard the area in and around the temple," said Ram Krishna Chaturvedi, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Mathura.
According to Hindu mythology, Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Lord Vishnu is believed to have taken human form to destroy the evil Mathura King called Kansa.
Krishna's imprisoned parents - - Vasudeva and Devaki - - had to smuggle their newborn out at midnight to save him from Kansa.
Vasudev carried his newborn child in a reed basket and left him in the care of another couple at Gokul'.
The birth anniversary of Krishna is celebrated as 'Janmashtami'. It is celebrated on two consecutive days. The first is the day when Krishna was actually born, and the second, when he reached Gokul.
ANI