22 held amid tensions as Muharram rally passes through Prayagraj’s Sirsa market
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Twenty-two individuals were taken into custody by the Uttar Pradesh Police following unrest during a Muharram procession in Prayagraj district.
The arrests were made on charges of disturbing public order after tensions arose on Thursday night between two groups over the route of the procession.
Local residents claimed that participants deviated from the customary path and instead moved through the Sirsa market, a Hindu-majority area, which they said was an unusual and provocative change.
According to police reports, tensions flared when shopkeepers and residents objected to this altered route and gathered in protest. Questions were raised about why the traditional procession path had not been adhered to, Indian Express reported
Residents claimed that rerouting the Muharram procession through Sirsa market marked a deliberate break from tradition and suggested it was an effort to establish a new precedent.
The situation worsened when members of both groups began arguing, prompting intervention by a police team from the Meja police station, who managed to calm tensions and disperse the crowd.
Authorities have since filed a case naming five individuals and listing around 50 others as unidentified.
Assistant Commissioner of Police S.P. Upadhyay explained that prior approval is mandatory for processions to take alternative routes, and in this instance, no such authorisation had been sought from the district administration. He added that an investigation would determine who organised the change in route and what motivated the decision.