[India News]: Lucknow, Feb.21 : Curfew continues in Hussainabad area, near Lucknow, for the second consecutive day.

No report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the area has been received, amidst tight security measures.

Curfew was clamped in the area after sectarian clashes took place during Tazia procession on the 10th day of Moharram, in which three persons were killed and about 14 injured, some of them seriously, police said here.

Regular patrolling was being done by personnel of RAF, PAC and civil police personnel in the affected area while senior civil and police officers were also camping on the spot to monitor the situation, added the police sources.

The problem started on Sunday between the two groups of Shias and Sunnis when some miscreants hurled stones at a Tazia procession as it passed through Hussainabad. Several vehicles and some shops were set on fire before riot police could disperse the mobs. Thirteen people were injured in the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.

Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim leaders have reportedly appealed for peace and harmony after three men were killed in clashes. The appeal went out for both communities after the leaders met Aradhana Shukla, the District Magistrate of Lucknow.

"We are trying continuously for peace in the city. For that we have met the religious leaders from both the sects and we are appealing everyone to maintain peace," Shukla told reporters on Sunday.

"It is our duty to maintain peace and law and order here. I appeal everyone in the city to live in peace and brotherhood," said Maulana Abdul Hamid Qasmi, a senior Sunni leader.

Maulana Kalbe Javed, a Shia leader called for a judicial inquiry into the incident. "We want that a judicial enquiry should be ordered so that we can find out the real cause of the incident," he said.

Muslims observe the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, by taking out the Muharram processions. The mourning procession is the pledge of allegiance and homage to Imam Hussain, the saviour of Islam.

The demonstration of mourning is in commemoration of the brutal massacre of this godly man and his band of brothers, sisters, children, kinsmen and companions, numbering less then one hundred persons who were denied water for three days on the scorching desert plains of Kerbala, Iraq, 1356 years ago.

The men folk, except for the ailing son of the Imam, were butchered by a huge army of the self styled, libertine ruler of Muslims, Yezid while the women folk and children were imprisoned for a whole year in atrocious conditions.

The bone of contention between the righteous Imam and the usurper was that while the impostor Caliph of the Muslims, Yezid of the accursed progeny wished to wipe off Islam from the face of the earth. The evil man claimed the position of successor of the Prophet, who was denied his rightful succession, stood up against him to save Islam from annihilation.

Differences between the majority Sunni and minority Shia Muslims date back to the very earliest days of Islam with a direct link to the issue of succession following the death of Prophet Muhammad.

The Shia believe that after Prophet Muhammad's death, his son-in- law, Ali, should have been given the reins of administration. They still regard him as the first imam or spiritual leader.

The Sunni, however, believe that the appointment of one of the Prophet's companions, Abu Bakr, as the first Caliph was correct. Although, they respect Ali as the fourth Caliph of Islam.

In 661 A.D., Ali was murdered and his chief opponent, Muawiya, became the Caliph. Muawiya laid the foundation of family rule in Islam and his son, Yazid, later succeeded him as the Caliph. But Ali's son Hussein refused to accept his authority and fighting between them took place.

Hussein and his followers were massacred in battle near Karbala in 680 A.D. which created long-term differences between the two schools of Islam. Muharram processions normally see clashes between Shias and Sunnis all over the world.

Lucknow had banned Muharram processions for 17 years due to a history of Shi'ite-Sunni clashes during the event. But the ban was lifted after a rapprochement between the two groups in 2000. (ANI)