For Holi, mosques covered in tarpaulin in Uttar Pradesh, security stepped up

Authorities in several districts of Uttar Pradesh have covered mosques with tarpaulin and stepped up security ahead of the Hindu festival of Holi, which coincides this year with congregational Friday prayers during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, reported The Indian Express.

Prominent Muslim clerics in the state have also revised Friday prayer timings, which will be held after 2 pm on Friday.

Director General of Police Prashant Kumar issued a 20-point directive to district police chiefs, commissionerates and range heads, instructing them to fortify sensitive zones with heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces.

Kumar also held meetings with top officers and visited sensitive districts. In “hyper-sensitive” Sambhal, where a court-ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid has drawn attention in recent months, mosques were covered with tarpaulin and additional forces deployed for round-the-clock monitoring, according to The Indian Express.

Zafar Ali, president of Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid, announced that Friday prayers on March 14 will be held at 2.30 pm due to Holi celebrations. He urged both communities to celebrate in harmony and welcomed the move to cover mosques, calling it a “positive step”.

On March 6, Sambhal Circle Officer Anuj Kumar Chaudhary had said that Muslims should stay at home if they do not want Holi colours to be thrown at them. “And if they want to go out of their house, then they should be big-hearted enough not to object if colour falls on them,” the police officer added.

Similar remarks have been made by other persons in positions of power in recent days.

On Monday, Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Singh said that Muslim men can cover themselves with a “tarpaulin hijab” if they do not want to accept Holi colours.

In Shahjahanpur, where Holi is marked by a “Laat Saheb” procession, preparations have included barricading the route and installing several security cameras. As part of this 18th-century tradition, revellers throw footwear at a man impersonating “Laat Saheb” – a British officer – who is seated on a bullock cart.

“There are eighteen Holi processions in the city, including the two major ‘Laat Saheb’ processions,” Superintendent of Police Rajesh S told PTI. “To ensure security, the larger procession has been divided into three zones and eight sectors, with around 100 magistrates deployed.”

“The security deployment includes 10 police circle officers, 250 sub-inspectors, around 1,500 police personnel and two companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary,” he said, adding that preventive action had been taken against 2,423 persons to deter potential troublemakers.

Municipal Commissioner Vipin Kumar Mishra said that 350 security cameras and still cameras have been installed along the procession route. “Additionally, about 20 mosques on the route have been covered with tarpaulin so that these are not stained by colours,” Mishra told PTI.

He added that barricades had also been placed near mosques and electrical transformers for safety.

“Two tractor trolleys will accompany the procession to collect the discarded shoes, torn clothes and other debris,” Mishra said. “A sky lift will also be part of the procession and cameras will be positioned at 16 police picket points for video recording and it will be monitored live.”

Vikas Khurana, a historian from Swami Sukhdevanand College, told PTI that the Laat Saheb tradition began in 1728 when Nawab Abdullah Khan returned to Shahjahanpur on Holi and celebrated the festival with the residents.

“In 1930, the procession began using camel carts,” he explained. “Over time, its format has evolved.”

Khurana noted that a petition to stop the event in the 1990s was rejected by the High Court as it was an old tradition.

Harnaam Katihar, a member of the organising committee, said the procession starts “from Kuncha Lala and reaches the Phoolmati temple where a man dressed as ‘Laat Saheb’ offers prayers”.

“It then proceeds to the police station, where the ‘Laat Saheb’ questions the police about the crimes committed over the past year,” PTI quoted Katihar as saying. “As customary, police offer a bottle of liquor and some cash as a bribe. The procession then continues through a seven-kilometre route before returning at Kuncha Lala. Throughout the march, participants hit the ‘Laat Saheb’ with shoes.”

Design & Developed by Yes Mom Hosting