Key Points
- Minister demands adequate police force at major religious places
Seeks cyber monitoring to prevent rumors
Wants streamlined traffic management during Ramzan
Ansari, through the letter, demanded deployment of adequate police force at all major religious places. Police patrolling during Jumme ki Namaz to maintain peace and harmony.
"The holy month of Ramzan holds special importance for the minority Muslim community of the state. During this time, a large number of people gather in mosques for Namaz and Iftar. In such a situation, it is very important to maintain law and order and ensure the safety of the general public," Ansari said in the letter.
He said that an adequate police force should be deployed in mosques and major religious places of all the districts of the state.
He said that cyber monitoring should be tightened to avoid any rumor or untoward incident.
Traffic management should be streamlined so that there is no inconvenience during Iftar and Taraweeh. Superintendents of Police of all districts should be directed to establish coordination at the local level and resolve any possible problem quickly, he said.
Meanwhile, security has been heightened in the Shahi Jama Masjid area of Sambhal after the Allahabad High Court directed a three-member committee to oversee the mosque's painting ahead of Ramzan, officials said on Thursday.
Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal mandated a panel consisting of officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), a scientific expert, and a local administration representative to ensure the work was conducted without causing structural damage to the mosque.
Sambhal ASP Shrish Chandra told ANI that heavy security arrangements have been put in place around the site. "Tight security arrangements have been made around the disputed site. An adequate police force has been deployed... Peace will be maintained... Surveillance is being conducted through CCTV and drones," he said.
Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson Ameeque Jamei assured that peace would prevail in Sambhal.
"During Diwali, houses across the country are cleaned and painted. Similarly, ahead of Ramzan, mosques are also cleaned and painted. I believe the ASI should extend its full support instead of getting involved in politics. Those attempting to disrupt the unity of Sambhal will not succeed. Sambhal will remain united," he told ANI.
Earlier in the month, the Uttar Pradesh police's SIT filed a chargesheet of over 4,000 pages in six of the 12 cases in the November 24 Sambhal violence that erupted during the ASI's examination of the Mughal-era mosque.