Privately, police officers spoke of an underlying climate of fear surrounding this year's "yatra" in the city of Ahmedabad and said the turnout was far lower than in previous years.

Sharpshooters watched from rooftops and 30,000 security men were posted along the parade route in the city which, during February and March, bore the brunt of India's worst communal riot in a decade.

The procession wound through the narrow streets of mainly Muslim parts of the city. Thousands of Hindus danced to pounding drums and music blaring from trucks. Others sang holy songs and cried "Hail Lord Krishna".

Since early morning there was apprehension that the procession might spark tension between the two communities.

"I hope the yatra will pass off peacefully and we will forget the past and move forward. We don't need to be intimidated by this and knowing the situation will have do deal with everything peacefully," said Mohammad Khan, who had witnessed bloodshed on the streets of Ahmedabad,

Many Muslims said they were not reassured despite the massive security cover.

"It's peaceful at the moment but what happens later God knows. Most of the people are scared and are leaving the city. Half of the population has left the locality," said Rehana, a Muslim woman living in one of the Muslim-dominated areas of the city. Analysts said the ability of the Gujarat government, headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party which also leads the ruling coalition at the centre, to maintain peace would be a test of its assurance that calm had been restored to the state.

Farooq Sheikh, a member of state legislature, said Muslims prayed that the procession passed of peacefully.

"We want peace to be established in the city. We believe that this rath yatra also passes peacefully so that Ahmedabad can return to normalcy and start its businness. This is what we all Muslims in the city desire. Today each and every Muslim in the city is praying for the well being of every indvidual and hoping that this rally would bring peace to the city."

Traditionally both Hindus and Muslims come out to watch the procession that begins early in the morning and lasts till evening. But this year many Muslims stayed indoors, peeping at the parade through curtained windows.

Thousands of others had fled their homes on the eve of the procession. They took refuge in relief camps set up following the carnage that swept the state earlier this year which officials say left at least 1,000 dead, most of them Muslims. Human rights groups say the death toll was at least 2,500.

That violence erupted after an arson attack on a train carrying Hindu devotees left 59 dead. Police said a Muslim mob torched the train. (ANI)

Steps will be taken to ban MDMK: Jayalalitha

Chennai, July 12 (ANI): Jayaram Jayalalitha, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, has demanded a ban on Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party for its open support to the outlawed Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger rebels.

Jayalalitha said on Friday that the party's forthright and vocal approach in extending support to LTTE demands a strong action. "In the MDMK executive committee meeting they have passed a resolution saying that the very purpose of the existence of the party and the very purpose of their participating in the central government is only in order to support the Tamils in Eelam. It shows they are not here to do any thing for India or Tamil Nadu or for the Tamil people in India. They don't intend to do anything for this country at all or for the state. So, when they are so vocal in their support for a banned organisation and they go on obstinately proclaiming that they will not change their stand and that they will contine to support LTTE, then I think that is very something which cannot be tolerated. We are going to initiate steps to have the MDMK ban," Jayalalitha told reporters here.

Police on Thursday arrested Vaiko, head of MDMK allied to India's ruling coalition, accusing him of openly expressing support for the LTTE in a June 29 speech. He was arrested under POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) in Chennai. He has, however, strongly justified his backing of the Tigers.

Activists of MDMK party held protest marches against the arrest of their leader, who said the laws were being misused by the Tamil Nadu government for political vendetta. Over 100 MDMK protestors were taken into custody.

"We are not indulging in any violence. We are only protesting our leader's arrest," said K Somu, MDMK secretary for Kancheepuram district.

The Tamil leader has been remanded to judicial custody till August 7 and sent to the state's central jail. His regional party has two members in the Central Cabinet. (ANI)