Symbolic photo
It was the day of Holi in the year 1999, when Haj pilgrims were to board the train from communally sensitive city of Mau in Delhi and the administration had to impose prohibition on ‘loco pilot’ to temporarily stop the train. The administration had taken this step to not let the Holi celebrating Holi, the festival of face-to-face colors, wearing white clothes (Muslim) pilgrims. Exactly 26 years later, there is a similar situation again. Holi is on Friday. The month of Ramadan is going on and in various states, especially in the Sambhal of Uttar Pradesh, the administration is gearing up to ensure that the prayers and Holi of Juma are concluded peacefully.
This is the first time in the history of India …
The challenges presented to the officers in Mau in the year 1999 month are mentioned in detail in former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh’s book “Through My Eyes: Skates from a Cops Notebook”. He has written in the book that the Railways rejected the request of the officials to delay a few hours of delay in the afternoon, until the Holi festival was completed, after which the officials in Mau imposed prohibition on the loco pilot (train driver). The former state police chief said in the chapter titled ‘Train under Section 144 of CRPC’, “This was the first time in the history of India that the order under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure (CRPC), which is generally used to stop illegally gathering and prevent the disturbance in peace, was not used to control the crowd, not to control the movement, not to control the moving train.
Haj pilgrims were leaving on the day of Holi
He has written in the book that a large number of Haj pilgrims were to leave on the day of Holi that year. He was about to board the train from Mau to Delhi. This was his first stop for Mecca before boarding the plane. The train was about to arrive in the afternoon, at the same time when the festival of Holi is at its peak.
Help was sought from railway officials
According to the book, for Muslim pilgrims dressed in white clothes, the district administration had already realized the lack of escape from getting stuck in this gaiety on the streets. Keeping in mind the history of communal clashes in the district, the authorities sought help from the railway authorities and requested that the train be delayed for a few hours. “However, the Railways refused, saying that the trains’ schedule could not be changed, no matter how sensitive the situation is. Also, “time bound operations” for the railways are most important.
Train stopped using law
The former DGP said that the district administration took a bold and unprecedented steps, sensing not being accepted by the Railways and the apprehension of communal imperfection. The 1983 batch IPS (Indian Police Service) officer, who hails from Bihar, wrote in the book, “The prohibition order was given directly to the train driver, allowing the train to be legally stopped from moving beyond the railway station in the neighboring district. Police and other government officials were deployed with the train. “It said,” The train remained stopping for a few hours, not due to technical failure or delay in time-determination, but not using the law. “The book said in the book that a few hours later, the pilgrims boarded the train without any interruption. Holi will be celebrated on Friday this year. (With language inputs)
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