The police had to fire tear-gas shells to disperse the marchers, causing injuries to over half-a-dozen. Ten people have been arrested and have been charged under various Sections of the IPC, including rioting, attacking government employees on duty and causing disturbance during government work, said CO Chowk Vinay Chandra.

Lucknow District Magistrate Chandra Bhanu said: “A sect among Sunni community, called Barelvis, insist on taking out a ‘Juloos-e-Mohammadi’ every year. This procession is mentioned nowhere in the list of agreement between the district administration and both sects Muslims, Shias and Sunnis.”

Every year, Barelvis raise the demand to take out a procession from the Shahmina Shah shrine in Chowk to Dada Mian ki Mazar in Sadar locality, but the police stop them from marching out of the Shahmina Shah shrine. Following this, they used to hand over their memorandum to the officials and return to the shrine.

But on Tuesday on the occasion of Barawafat, a crowd marched out of the shrine after engaging in fisticuffs with police. The mob destroyed three barricades and efforts made by officials to dissuade the marchers went in vain.

This led police to use force to prevent them from proceeding beyond the Haathi Park crossing. But when the mob retaliated by throwing bricks and stones, police had to fire tear-gas shells and rubber bullets.