Ayodhya: Peace committee meetings held, police maintaining "full vigilance" ahead of Holi celebrations

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 13 (ANI): Ahead of the Holi celebrations in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, the administration has carried out intense security preparations around the city to ensure peace, and police is monitoring social media and constantly surveying through CCTVs and drone cameras.
The Inspector General of Ayodhya Range, Praveen Kumar mentioned that 'Peace committees' have also met in all districts in the area to ensure "no tensions" occur between communities.
"Peace committees have met in all districts before Holi, we are in contact with everyone. Surveillance is being done through drone cameras and CCTV. QRT has been deployed at different places," Ayodhya IG told ANI.
Confident in the celebrations going smoothly, he added, "I am confident that whoever is there, whether it is an officer or anyone else, I am confident that we will maintain full vigilance."
With the festival of colours set to happen tomorrow, people from all over the nation flocked to the markets to grab the colours and 'pichkaris'.
Markets are abuzz with people shopping for 'gulal' and 'abeer', as well as pichkaris, the traditional water guns used to splash coloured water.
Similar visuals have arrived from Ayodhya where preparations for Holi going on in the markets in Ayodhya as people flock to the marketplaces for festival-related shopping.
These preparations come amid the Uttar Pradesh Police ensuring that no communal tensions flare up in sensitive areas, such as Sambhal, during festivals, as the Jumma Namaz and Holi are set to happen on the same day.
Earlier on Wednesday, in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, Jama Masjid was covered with a tarpaulin sheet following instructions from the local administration.
Sambhal ASP Shreesh Chandra said all 10 religious places that fall on the traditional route taken by the Holi procession will be covered so that no sentiments are hurt.
"All 10 religious places that fall on the traditional route taken by the Holi procession will be covered so that no sentiments are hurt. There have been talks and agreement between the two sides on this," Chandra told ANI.
In view of the festival with intensified security measures, activating district intelligence networks and directing all personnel to remain vigilant, the police has also issued a directive of not allowing any "new traditions" during festivals.
The directive said, "No new tradition should be allowed to be started during festivals. All festivals should be celebrated traditionally...Anti-social elements should be identified in advance, and effective preventive action should be taken against them. After reviewing the disputes and cases related to Holi in the past years, effective preventive action should be taken accordingly."
Senior officers have been instructed to brief all officials, including those at police stations, outposts, and beat levels. (ANI)