Days after violence in Sambhal, Muslim religious leaders and Imams of Mosques have appealed to the people to pray in their neighbouring mosques and maintain peace.
Hazrat Maulana Aftab Hussain Warsi, the Imam of Shahi Jama Masjid, urged people not to pay attention to rumours and called people to maintain peace and harmony in the city.
Apart from Hussain Warsi, Hazrat Maulana Qari Rashid Ali, Imam of Eidgah Sambhal and Chaudhary Ashraf Ali Khan, former President of Shahi Jama Masjid Sambhal also urged people to maintain peace ahead of Friday prayers.
The Sambhal administration is also on alert ahead of the Friday prayers and Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita is in place in the city.
Police held flag marches in areas near the Shahi Jama Masjid here on Thursday, a day before Friday prayers, with top officials saying watertight security has been put in place to prevent untoward incidents.
Led by Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Srish Chandra, police teams marched through the busy markets that partially reopened on Thursday.
"The situation is completely peaceful and normal," ASP Chandra told PTI Videos.Asked about Friday prayers, he said, Sufficient police force has been deployed and we are prepared to tackle any situation.
After the violence broke out during a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque on November 24, life in Sambhal is gradually returning to normal on Tuesday with schools reopening and several shops selling daily essentials resuming operations.
However, the internet services continue to remain suspended in Sambhal tehsil. Members of both Hindu and Muslim communities have called for unity and pledged to rebuild communal harmony even as police and administration officials were continuing to closely monitor the situation, with personnel deployed at key intersections and Rapid Action Force teams stationed in sensitive areas. The authorities have imposed restrictions on the entry of outsiders and public representatives into Sambhal until November 30.