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NCM seeks clarification on UP DGP’s Moharram guidelines

ByHT Correspondent
Aug 04, 2021 06:30 PM IST

The All India Shia Muslim Personal Law Board said it was thankful to NCM for taking cognisance of the UP Police letter on Moharram guidelines

LUCKNOW: The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) on Wednesday sought clarifications from Uttar Pradesh chief secretary RK Tiwari on a leaked letter from police headquarters outlining the Moharram guidelines to be observed in the state.

The UP police communication on Moharram has been severely criticised by Shia clerics and the All India Shia Muslim Personal Law Board (AISMPLB) (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The police communication has been severely criticised by Shia clerics and the All India Shia Muslim Personal Law Board (AISMPLB) which called the guidelines “anti-Shia” and “provocative”. Some others from the community have called the internal communication, a “charge sheet” against them.

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“The National Commission for Minorities has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh and called for a clarification on the controversial aspects of the guidelines issued by the DGP of Uttar Pradesh regarding the month of Muharram,” NCM vice president Atif Rashid said, according to news agency PTI.

The NCM letter asked the state government to clarify where and on how many incidents of intra-community violence were reported. Besides, the letter also sought an explanation on “how a confidential letter came out in the public domain.”

The controversial guidelines on the arrangements to be made during Moharram, starting on August 10, was issued on July 31.

Maulana Yasoob Abbas, senior Shia cleric and general secretary of AISMPLB, said they were grateful to the NCM for taking suo motu cognisance “of the guidelines that are politically driven and aimed at creating differences between the two sects”.

“In the guidelines, the DGP office blamed Shia Muslims for carrying out certain religious practices which hurts the religious sentiments of the people belonging to the other sect. Besides, they referred to Moharram as a festival, which is absolutely wrong since it’s a time to mourn and not to celebrate. Also, the guidelines ban the tazia processions that are carried out during Moharram to mark the martyrdom of Imam Husain, Prophet Mohammad’s grandson and his 72 companions in Karbala (in present-day Iraq) in 680 AD,” the senior cleric said.

He also requested the state government to allow them to take out tazia processions while following the Covid-19 protocol.

After the controversy, the UP Police said the circular was meant only for its officials, not for the general public. The order on the dos and don’ts issued on July 31 was meant for the officers in the field and not for the public, additional director general of police (law and order) Prashant Kumar said.

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