On 6th March, Sambhal Circle Officer (CO) Anuj Chaudhary urged local Muslims to avoid stepping out for one day on the occasion of Holi if they want to avoid the colours, and they should not offer Jumma Namaz on 14th March to avoid any unpleasant situation due to Holi. Sambhal CO’s statement did not sit well with Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, who said that if his party comes to power in Uttar Pradesh, CO Chaudhary would be jailed.
The Samajwadi Party leader also accused CO Anuj Chaudhary of inciting violence in Sambhal last year. “Anup Chaudhary incited riots. Anup Chaudhary was saying goli chalao goli chalao…everyone saw it. He only was the CO then. What better to expect from him? Would he talk right? Whenever the system changes, such people will be in jail,” Yadav said when asked about CO Chaudhary’s statement appealing to Muslims to avoid stepping out of their homes on Holi and performing Jumma Namaz outside their homes.
संभल CO को लेकर रामगोपाल यादव का बड़ा बयान
— News18 Uttar Pradesh (@News18UP) March 7, 2025
सरकार बदली तो अनुज चौधरी जैसे जेल जाएंगे-रामगोपाल
अनुज चौधरी ने ही संभल में दंगा करवाया-रामगोपाल#Sambhal #RamGopalYadav pic.twitter.com/m373bq2jLA
As reported earlier, Sambhal Circle Officer (CO) Anuj Chaudhary urged Hindus and Muslims to maintain peace during the festival. He advised people from the Muslim community to avoid stepping out for one day on the occasion of Holi if they want to avoid the colours and festivities. He also urged Hindus not to throw colours at people against their wishes.
This year Holi will be celebrated on 14th March which is a Friday. Every Friday, Muslims offer Jumma Namaz in large numbers. Considering the coincidence between Holi and Jumma Namaz, CO Chaudhary advised Muslims not to offer Jumma Namaz on 14th March to avoid any unpleasant situation due to Holi. “Jumma comes 52 times a year while Holi comes only once a year. If any person from the Muslim community thinks that his religion will be corrupted due to Holi colours, he should avoid stepping out of his house on Holi. And if he still wants to come out then he should have a big heart not to be offended by the colours of Holi,” the CO said to the media.
Explaining the importance of Holi for Hindus, CO Chaudhary said, “Just as Muslims eagerly wait the entire year for Eid, similarly, Hindus also look forward to Holi. Holi is celebrated by preparing sweets and applying colours. Similarly, on Eid sweets are prepared and people greet one another. Both the communities, Hindus and Muslims, should respect each other.”
He assured that the administration will take stringent action against anyone trying to disturb peace in Sambhal on the occasion of Holi.
Notably, the Samajwadi Party which has a history of doing Muslim appeasement politics has been supporting Islamists involved in Sambhal violence in November 2024. The party gifted Rs 5 lakhs each as compensation to the kin of the 5 individuals who were killed during the violence. 5 persons were killed during the Sambhal violence where the police were attacked by a local Muslim mob on 24 November after te court-ordered survey of the Jama Masjid. 20 police personnel were injured and several vehicles were torched. 5 persons who were a part of the mob died in the violence. Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq was also booked for instigating violence in Sambhal.
