At least nine mosques in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh and Sambhal districts have been covered with tarpaulin sheets ahead of Holi to prevent them from being smeared with colours, police said on March 24.
The step was taken after talks with religious leaders to maintain law and order, police officials said.
In Aligarh, at least two mosques have been covered. One of them is Halwaaiyan mosque in the Sabzi Mandi area, and the other is located at Delhi Gate, Circle Officer (City) Abhay Pandey told reporters.
Mr. Pandey said that a flag march had been conducted in the sensitive areas with a message of peace, and police pickets had been set up in the old city areas.
In Sambhal, the district administration, in agreement with the Muslim community, has covered some mosques with tarpaulin sheets to avoid dispute.
Additional Superintendent of Police (North) Shrish Chandra told PTI that like last year, six-seven mosques in Sambhal have also been covered with tarpaulin with mutual consent because splashing of colours often leads to disputes.
Circle Officer (Sambhal) Anuj Kumar Chaudhary told PTI that the district administration had covered the mosques on the routes where Holi is played.
Patron of Muslim Traders Organization, Ehtesham Ahmed, said that last year, too, several mosques in Sambhal, including the Bazaar mosque, Nakhasha mosque, and the one located on Arya Samaj Road had been covered to maintain peace in the city. The covering of mosques by the administration is a good step for maintaining peace, Mr. Ahmed added.
