Agra, Jul 1 (IANS): Police in Agra averted a communal flare-up in the heart of the city on Monday after a group of people pelted stones and forced shops to down shutters.

A group of members of the Bhartiya Muslim Action Committee had wanted to present a memorandum to the district magistrate on mob lynchings, at the collectorate, but they were refused permission. However some protesters managed to give the slip and tried to reach the headquarters but were prevented by the police.

Sources said a group of troublemakers in the Mantola police station area had indulged in stone throwing and forced some shops to close. This led to tension but before trouble could snowball, massive police deployment in the area with senior officials helped defuse the tense situation. At one point police had to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the mob, shopkeepers said.

Agra SSP Joginder Singh said that the memorandum was accepted near the Madina crossing close to the Jama Masjid and the protesters were persuaded to return. The situation was under control and the troublemakers were being identified.

After Meerut on Sunday, this was the second communal incident over the mob lynching of Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand last month.