KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, March 6: Police on Monday carried out a flag march in parts of the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district keeping ensuing Holi and Sab-e-baraat in view.
The areas where the police and paramilitary forces carried out the flag march include Ichagarh, Seraikela, and Kapali, all falling under the Seraikela-Kharsawan district.
According to a senior police officer, as both the festivals are falling back to back since March 7 and the Ichagarh, Seraikela and Kapali areas are considered communally sensitive, staging of flag march was necessary for those areas.
“The police administration is carrying out the flag march in the sensitive areas of the Seraikela-Kharsawan district, as a sense of confidence may be instilled among the people of those areas while celebrating the festivals,” said the officer.
Sab-e-baraat and Holi are to be celebrated on Tuesday and Wednesday. While observing Sab-e-baraat on Tuesday, the people belonging to the Muslim community will venture out of their homes late in the night for paying homage to the departed souls of their forefathers and beloved by visiting burial grounds.
Incidentally, also on the night of Tuesday, the ritual of “Holika Dahan” is performed prior to the celebration of Holi on Wednesday.
The administration is taking precautionary measures like staging a flag march as the people belonging to both communities will be out of their homes on Tuesday night, though in different ways.
Apart from staging the flag march, the police administration has deployed strategic locations in the localities considered to be sensitive in the adjoining district.
Meanwhile, security arrangements have been beefed up in the steel city also keeping the Holi and Sab-e-baraat festivals since Tuesday night. Random checking of commuters will be carried out across the city. Anyone found drunk driving or triple riding will be prosecuted.
Significantly, a local resident, Asad-ul Zama observed that though the religion of Hindus and Muslims are pole apart from each other, a common guiding factor behind the celebration of Holi and Sab-e-baraat is the Moon.
