Shahjahanpur (UP), Mar 12: Mosques on the route of the traditional ‘Laat Saheb’ Holi procession here have been covered with tarpaulins and strict security measures put in place ahead of the festival of colours which coincides with the Friday prayers.
Following an 18th-century tradition, Holi in Shahjahanpur begins with revellers hurling footwear at a man impersonating ‘Laat Saheb’ — a British Lord — seated on a bullock cart.
The local administration has raised barricades along the procession route and installed several CCTV cameras.
“There are 18 Holi processions in the city, including the two major ‘Laat Saheb’ processions. To ensure security, the larger procession has been divided into three zones and eight sectors, with around 100 magistrates deployed,” Superintendent of Police Rajesh S told PTI.
Moreover, police have taken preventive action against 2,423 people to deter potential troublemakers, he said.
“The security deployment includes 10 police circle officers, 250 sub-inspectors, around 1,500 police personnel and two companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC),” the SP added.
Warning that no one will be allowed to take the law into their hands, the police officer said, “We urge everyone to celebrate Holi peacefully. Our police force will keep a close watch on miscreants and the entire event will be monitored live.”
Municipal Commissioner Vipin Kumar Mishra said, “We have installed around 350 CCTV and still cameras along the procession route. Additionally, about 20 mosques on the route have been covered with tarpaulin so that these are not stained by colours.”
Barricades have also been placed near mosques and electrical transformers for safety, he said.
“Two tractor trolleys will accompany the procession to collect the discarded shoes, torn clothes and other debris. A sky lift will also be part of the procession and cameras will be positioned at 16 police picket points for video recording and it will be monitored live.”
Dr Vikas Khurana, a historian from Swami Sukhdevanand College, traced the origins of the tradition to 1728, when Nawab Abdullah Khan, who had left Shahjahanpur for Farrukhabad, returned to the city on Holi.
“Upon his return, he played Holi with the locals, which became an annual tradition. In 1930, the procession began using camel carts. Over time, its format has evolved,” he explained.
Khurana further noted that in the 1990s, a petition was filed in the High Court seeking to stop the procession, but the court refused to intervene, ruling it was an old tradition.
Harnaam Katihar, a member of the organising committee, detailed the procession’s route and customs.
“The procession starts from Kuncha Lala and reaches the Phoolmati Temple where a man dressed as ‘Laat Saheb’ offers prayers. It then proceeds to the police station, where the ‘Laat Saheb’ questions the police about the crimes committed over the past year,” he said.
“As customary, police offer a bottle of liquor and some cash as a bribe. The procession then continues through a seven-km route before returning at Kuncha Lala. Throughout the march, participants hit the ‘Laat Saheb’ with shoes,” Katihar said.
Poet and city native Indu ‘Ajnabi’ told PTI that when the “Laat Saheb” goes to police station, the personnel salute him and offer “bribes” in cash, all symbolic.
“The procession is part of a tradition which was started to discourage the British colonisers. Shahjahanpur is linked with numerous freedom fighters. Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan were born here. From the freedom movement to the Kargil conflict, Shahjahanpur has served the nation with vigour,” Ajnabi told PTI. (PTI)
