Sambhal , Rang Ekadashi celebrations and Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramzan were held peacefully in Sambhal on Friday under elaborate security arrangements, officials said.
While a colourful Ekadashi procession was taken out across the town to mark the beginning of Holi festivities, a large number of worshippers offered Jumma namaz at mosques, including the Shahi Jama Masjid in the Kot Purvi locality, amid tight police vigil.
The procession was organised under the aegis of the Shri Shyam Seva Samiti. Participants played with gulal and wet colours, and a cultural programme depicting Radha-Krishna Maharasa was also held on the occasion.
In view of the simultaneous observance of the festival and Friday prayers during Ramzan, the main market in the city remained closed and special arrangements were made by the administration, according to officials.
Mosques falling along the procession route were covered with plastic sheets after discussions with their caretakers to prevent any inconvenience, they said.
Celebrations were held in areas including Mohalla Ther, Mahila Mandal temple, Madiya temple, Gurudwara Road in Mohalla Kot Purvi, Sahani Wala Phatak and Sarthal Chowki, where people applied colours to one another and took out the procession.
Shri Shyam Seva Samiti president Anuj Garg said the Ekadashi procession has been taken out with enthusiasm through city routes for nearly 30 years, with the tableau of Shri Shyam Baba being the main attraction.
He said the town gets drenched in gulal during the celebrations.
Local resident Anoop Gupta said, “A unique century-old tradition is also observed on the occasion, under which people visit families that have suffered bereavement in the past year and sprinkle colours at their homes as a symbolic gesture marking the end of mourning.”
ASP Kuldeep Singh said, “Tight security arrangements were made in view of the Ekadashi procession and Jumma prayers during Ramzan.”
He said a peace committee meeting had been held earlier to ensure coordination between communities.
Five station house officers, five inspectors, 20 sub-inspectors, 60 civil police personnel, two platoons of the Rapid Response Force and a team of the Local Intelligence Unit were deployed, he said, adding that drone surveillance was also carried out.
Singh said, “The mosques along the procession route were covered with plastic sheets after consultation with their mutawallis .”
Officials said Friday prayers at the Shahi Jama Masjid were conducted peacefully with a large turnout of worshippers, and the overall law and order situation in the town remained normal.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
