A district-level peace committee meeting was held on Wednesday at the Traffic Police Line auditorium in Varanasi to ensure the peaceful observance of the mourning month of Muharram. The meeting was presided over by Police Commissioner Mohit Agrawal and attended by District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar, along with religious leaders, imams, taziadars, and members of the Civil Defence.
Police Commissioner Agrawal warned that in the current era of technology, no one would escape after committing a crime, as CCTV cameras are installed everywhere and all security personnel have mobile phones. He urged peace committee members to immediately inform the district administration or the nearest police station upon receiving any fake or misleading news, so that necessary action can be taken to maintain peace and law and order. He emphasized that no objectionable videos should be posted on social media and directed care regarding places identified in previous years during police station-level peace committee meetings. Strict surveillance will be maintained through social media and drone cameras, he added.
District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar interacted with each peace committee member individually, listened to their concerns, and issued instructions to officials of the concerned departments to resolve them. He asked committee members to exercise vigilance regarding security and other arrangements and directed all concerned officials to visit spots where tazias are kept and ensure foolproof security. He instructed committee members not to display weapons along with the tazia and to keep the volume of public address systems in check.
Kumar noted that all festivals over the past year were concluded peacefully and harmoniously and expressed confidence that residents would observe Muharram peacefully. He said no practice or ritual should be followed that hurts anyone's sentiments. He reminded peace committee members that the height of the tazia should be within the prescribed limit. He stressed that everyone's faith should be respected and, as announced by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, no new tradition would be allowed. Processions must be organized along traditional routes only.
The district magistrate directed the additional municipal commissioner to ensure cleaning of sewers, drains, and places where tazias are kept, and to spray lime. He directed the DPRO for similar arrangements in rural areas and instructed officials of the municipal corporation and Panchayati Raj to ensure availability of drinking water in view of the rising summer heat, along with repairing defunct RO plants and handpumps on a priority basis and arranging water tankers where required. He directed officials of the electricity distribution division to ensure no electric poles, boxes, or hanging wires cause hazards and to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the holy month. The executive engineer of the public works department was directed to fill potholes on lanes through which tazias pass. He also directed concerned departments for sewage management, pruning of trees, and lighting arrangements.
