On Holi, which coincides with the holy month of Ramzan, authorities in Uttar Pradesh have covered 189 mosques in at least four districts with tarpaulin to prevent them from attacks by Hindutva mobs.
Prominent Muslim clerics have been asked to postpone Friday prayers to after 2 PM in 18 districts to avoid any overlap with celebrations, news reports said.
Security has been tightened, with UP DGP Prashant Kumar directing officials to deploy additional police and paramilitary forces in sensitive areas. In Bareilly, 109 mosques were covered, with 5,000 security personnel deployed along the Ram Barat route. In Shahjahanpur, 67 mosques were covered ahead of the Laat Saheb Juloos, a unique Holi tradition. Sambhal, marked as “hyper-sensitive” due to ongoing litigation over the Shahi Jama Masjid, has seen round-the-clock monitoring by paramilitary forces, with mosque management welcoming the precautionary measures.
Authorities have installed CCTV cameras, erected barricades, and used drones for surveillance in multiple districts, including Mathura, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Meerut, and Muzaffarnagar. Preventive action has been taken against 2,423 individuals, and officers have been instructed to ensure communal harmony.