Authorities have covered mosques and shrines along the traditional Gota Mar Holi procession routes in Shahjahanpur with tarpaulins and announced enhanced security measures for the annual event, officials said on Monday.
‘Gota Mar Holi’ is a unique, centuries-old tradition celebrated in Shahjahanpur on Holi day, when people throw shoes and sandals at a person dressed as a British-era ‘Lat Sahab’ and riding a buffalo cart as a centrepiece, while playing with colours.
Besides the deployment of over 200 judges, this year’s procession will see about one-and-a-half times more security personnel than last year, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi said.
Four additional superintendents of police, 13 circle officers, 310 sub-inspectors, 1,200 policemen and 500 home guards will be deployed, the SSP said.
In addition, four companies, each of the Regional Armed Police and Rapid Action Force, along with a team from the National Disaster Response Force, will be stationed during the procession, he added.
More than 100 solar-powered surveillance cameras have been installed along the eight-kilometre route of the Bad Lat Sahab and Chot Lat Sahab procession to ensure uninterrupted monitoring even during power outages.
Since last year’s procession reported minor incidents, an additional zone was created this time, he said, adding that over the past month, peace committee meetings comprising members of all communities were held at police stations and outposts.
While urging people to celebrate Holi peacefully, Dwivedi assured that strict action would be taken against those who disrupt the procession.
Additional District Magistrate (Administration) Rajneesh Kumar Mishra said 48 mosques and shrines along the route were completely covered with thick plastic sheets.
As many as 148 open lanes on the parade route will be closed to prevent sudden crowd surge.
The administration divided the procession into seven zones with sectoral and sub-sectoral arrangements. He said a total of 136 district, sector and stationary judges will supervise the proceedings in their respective regions.
Mishra added that 103 judges will also be deployed at Holika Dahan sites to supervise the rituals from lighting the pyre to the conclusion of the celebrations. Preventive measures were also taken, including exterminating identified individuals and opening history sheets, in light of this event.
According to historian Dr Vikas Khurana of Swami Sukdevanand College, the origins of the procession go back to the 18th century when Nawab Abdullah Khan, after becoming angry with the family, went to Farrukhabad.
When he returned to Shahjahanpur in 1728, it coincided with Holi celebrations, when Hindus and Muslims together celebrated the festival with a city-wide procession.
According to Khurana, the British administration later institutionalized the procession after regaining control of Shahjahanpur in 1859.
The event continued peacefully for decades after independence, and in 1988, it was renamed from “Nawab Sahab” to “Laat Sahab” by the then district magistrate Kapil Dev.
The procession begins with prayers at the Phulmati Devi Temple and then proceeds through the city.
He added that the petition submitted to the Supreme Court in 1990 demanding a ban on the procession had been rejected, as the court considered it an outdated tradition.
