Muharram passed off peacefully in the Capital with Delhi Police and Central paramilitary forces weaving a tight security blanket in and around the trouble spots, especially Bawana in Outer Delhi and Trilokpuri in East. Days after communal clashes, Trilokpuri saw Hindus leading Muslim processions for Muharram on Tuesday, in a show of harmony aimed at soothing frayed nerves.
Delhi Police commando teams were deployed along with local police while Special Branch (Intelligence) was in touch with people of both the communities to avoid spread of canards in sensitive areas. Attempts at rebuilding broken ties in Trilokpuri coincided with simmering tension in another part of Delhi in Bawana, where a maha panchayat on Sunday convened by Jats urged people to protest against a Muharram procession. Alleged incendiary speeches called for a change in the route of a Muharram procession that passes through a Hindu residential area.
Hence, heavy police presence was witnessed in JJ colony at Bawana where a Muharram procession rolled out. People had prepared tazias and for the first time in a decade, they were required to change their route. 12 processions were carried out till 8 pm. “There was no violence reported from the area. Outsiders were not allowed entry. Police officers were manning the entire procession route,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Vikramjit Singh.
Processions started in the morning from Shia Jama Masjid, Kashmere Gate, Chabi Ganj, Chhota Bazar, Bara Bazar and ended at Panja Sharif, the oldest Karbala in the city at Kashmere Gate, in the evening. Tazias from Okhla, Nizamuddin and Mehrauli reached the Karbala at Jor Bagh in South Delhi. Aman Committee members headed the Muharram procession in riot-hit Trilokpuri in East Delhi to ensure it remained peaceful, amid heavy presence of police and paramilitary forces.
The Aman Committee — a group of 40 Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian members — has played a crucial role in maintaining peace in Trilokpuri where communal violence erupted on October 23 over Diwali celebration, leaving 68 people, including policemen, injured. Over 30 Hindu volunteers along with the members of Aman Committee headed a peaceful Muharram procession in the presence of over 1,200 policemen, including paramilitary forces.
Six Muharram processions comprising over 1,200 people set out from Blocks 27 and 32 of Trilokpuri around 2 pm and terminated at the symbolic Karbala in Kotla peacefully. Muslims observe Muharram to mourn the death of Imam Hussein ibn Ali, a grandson of Prophet Mohammad, in the battle of Karbala.
The Hindu volunteers also organised chhabil, a water stall, along with Muslims. Delhi Police made preparations to ensure a peaceful Muharram. “Six additional companies of police, RAF and BSF were deployed in Trilokpuri,” said an official. Sharp-edged objects, traditionally used by the devout to inflict pain on themselves as part of Muharram mourning, were not allowed during the procession.