Babri demolition day: Friday prayers held peacefully in UP's Sambhal amid tight security

Sambhal (UP): Heavy security deployment was mounted in Sambhal on Friday in light of Friday prayers and the Babri demolition anniversary, with clerics appealing to people to offer prayers in their local mosques and maintain peace in the area.

District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya told reporters that the prayers went off peacefully at the Shahi Jama Masjid with 600 people in attendance.

Sambhal witnessed violence on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in the Kot Garvi area of the city. Four people were killed and several were injured in the confrontation.

The area has remained tense since then.

On Thursday, police in Sambhal took out a flag march led by DIG Muniraj G, District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya and Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar Bishnoi.

"Precautionary steps include the deployment of additional civic forces across the division, extensive barricading at key locations and division of Sambhal into sectors for better monitoring," Muniraj told reporters Thursday night.

Pensiya said 30 magistrates have been deployed in Sambhal, a three-layer security system has been put in place and drones used for monitoring.

"We have also formed a new peace committee and will establish similar committees in every ward. Last time, 700-800 people offered prayers at Shahi Jama Masjid and this time we have appealed to people to offer prayers only at their regular mosques," he had said.

On Friday, the Samajwadi Party's Sambhal MP Zia ur Rehman's father Mamlukur Rehman Barq told reporters after offering namaz at Shahi Jama Masjid, that the Friday prayers were held peacefully.

The local MP is one of the accused in the November 24 violence case.

"We want the Sambhal to be normal. We are sad and regretful about the incident that happened earlier. Such a thing should not happen in future. Hindus and Muslims should unite and make efforts to maintain a peaceful atmosphere," Barq said.

About the Babri mosque demolition in 1992, the MP's father said, "I regret December 6. I want that this mosque (Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal) should not be treated like that," he added.

The 16th-century Babri mosque in Ayodhya was demolished by Kar Sevaks on December 6, 1992. On November 9, 2019, settling a fractious issue that went back more than a century, a five-judge bench headed by then CJI Ranjan Gogoi paved the way for construction of the temple and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot will be found for a mosque in Ayodhya.

A new idol of Ram Lalla was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on January 22 this year, a landmark event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.