Lucknow, March 13
Despite the continuing curfew in communal riot-hit Bareilly, unruly mobs torched nearly 20 shops in the city today.

Tension mounted in the conflict-ridden city forcing the state government to rush in additional forces and a helicopter to rein in the spiralling violence.

In spite of the state government providing a helicopter to the police to enable aerial monitoring, trouble continued for the 13th day today, as members of a community set afire around 20 shops in the vegetable market in the Qutubkhana area this afternoon.

The government has ordered the closure of all educational institutes till the situation returns to normal.

The curfew that was continuing in four police station areas since March 3 (Prem Nagar, Qila, Baradari and Kotwali) has now been extended to another (Subhsh Nagar) police station. Now five out of the six police station areas of the city have been put under curfew.

The district police described the situation as tense but under control. Nine officers, including PAC commandant Jyoti Narain, four additional SPs and four Dy SPs, have already air dashed to Bareilly.

Protesting against the release of cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, arrested earlier on charges of inciting mob which led to communal clashes early this month, members of a community indulged in arson and brick batting in Sanjay Nagar and Subhash Nagar localities yesterday.