Bhopal, Nov. 4: Bhopal's 620 mosques had planned to mention the Simi "encounter" during their Friday sermons this afternoon but chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan used his goodwill among the clergy to dissuade them.

Chouhan had last night ordered a judicial probe into Monday's events, when eight terror suspects from the Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) escaped from a Bhopal jail only to be gunned down by police a few hours later.

Justice S.K. Pande, a retired high court judge, will head the inquiry commission, which will probe both the pre-dawn jailbreak and the morning "encounter" on Bhopal's outskirts.

Imams of mosques deliver a mandatory religious sermon in Arabic before Friday prayers. Often, they use the occasion to speak on political or social affairs - in the local language - ahead of the religious sermon, as has become the norm in Kashmir.

Sources said Chouhan got his intermediaries to persuade the clergy not to speak on the "encounter" before the Friday prayers, or to hold public protests on the issue.

Mufti Abdul Razzaq, national vice-president of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind, was the lone cleric insisting on a demonstration in the heart of Bhopal today despite the administration denying permission.

His men placed several speakers around the Tarjume Wali Masjid, where Razzaq planned to air his views before the Friday congregation in the densely populated Ibrahimpura neighbourhood. But the police removed the speakers.

At Moti Masjid, city qazi Mushtaq Nadvi read out prayers that sought God's intervention in punishing the guilty and judging everyone according to their deeds.

Syed Pir Saeed Mian, a leading Muslim scholar, too appealed to the community not to "fall prey to any propaganda" and let "law and justice take their course".

Chouhan had initially ruled out a judicial probe but, after consultations with bureaucrats, lawyers and social activists, decided that such an inquiry would instil confidence among the public, sources said.

Madhya Pradesh High Court, hearing a public interest petition, had yesterday issued a notice to the state government seeking a report on the "encounter".

An all-women public demonstration against the "encounter" was held yesterday in Mahidpur, about 30km from temple town Ujjain. Some 2,000 burqa-clad women and girls took to the streets demanding justice.

"Put an end to fake encounters," the women chanted.

Leading the march were the wife and the mother of Simi operative and Mahidpur resident Abdul Majid, slain in Monday's "encounter".

On Tuesday, Khandwa town witnessed sloganeering when the bodies of five of the slain Simi operatives were buried. The local police had to change the route of the funeral procession when some young men threw stones.

The police carried out a mild baton charge when some people from a crowd of 2,000 chanted provocative slogans. Over 400 policemen were deployed for the funeral procession, which covered less than half a kilometre.

Some other parts of Khandwa city witnessed crackers being burst to celebrate the killing of the Simi operatives, who faced charges of terrorism, robbery and a previous jailbreak.

In Mahidpur, protesters were heard expressing fear for the lives of the remaining 21 Simi activists lodged in the Bhopal Central Jail.

The women met tehsildar Sarita Lal to lodge their protest. Some of the women said they had worn the burqa to avoid being recognised.

Ujjain city qazi Khaleel Ul Rahman said the Muslim community had opted for an all-women protest to avoid arrests and a "witch-hunt".

Ujjain superintendent of police Manohar Verma said the situation was peaceful. Many Simi operatives have in the past been arrested from Ujjain and Khandwa.