Jagannath Rath Yatra to be held as per schedule in Udaipur

The annual Jagannath Rath Yatra will be held as per schedule in Rajasthan’s Udaipur on Friday even as the city has been under curfew amid tensions over the brutal murder of a tailor on Tuesday. The curfew has been relaxed along the route for the procession and will be reimposed after it is over, the district administration said in a statement. It will remain imposed in the rest of the city.

Thousands of slogan-shouting people took out a protest rally on Thursday and demanded the death penalty for two Muslim men, who murdered Kanhaiya Lal, the tailor, filmed the murder and posted a celebratory video. The National Investigation Agency is probing the murder.

Gatherings of over four people have also been barred in Udaipur and the Internet has remained suspended. “We have appealed to both the communities to be peaceful. We have all arrangements in place to have a peaceful day,” said an official, who did not want to be named.

Officials said additional police forces and drones have been deployed along the procession route. A meeting was held with the procession organisers and the city’s prominent Muslims on Thursday. The procession is being held after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.