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Delhi Police are on high alert in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha elections, intensifying surveillance in communally sensitive areas following a court order permitting Hindus to pray in a cellar at Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque. A memo dated February 2nd instructed top police officials to closely monitor public sentiment, particularly around religious spaces, in light of the court ruling.
Delhi Police On High Alert After Gyanvapi Cellar. “The emotive issue is being discussed among the members of the other community in Delhi on Social Media and personal Spaces. As such, there is a need for monitoring the mood and temper of both the communities and maintaining extra vigil around religious spaces, especially around Mosques during Friday prayers on 02.02.2024,” stated the memo.
The controversy emerged when members of a Hindu priests’ family commenced prayers in the Gyanvapi basement following a district court’s order to unseal the premises. The cellar had been sealed 30 years ago under the directive of then Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, shortly after the Babri Masjid demolition.
Gyanvapi Cellar Worship Controversy. The alert from the Delhi Police gains significance against the backdrop of a recently demolished mosque in Delhi and the consecration of the Ram temple on January 22nd. The memo highlighted the Gyanvapi issue as assuming significance for the other community in the context of the Ram temple consecration.
In response to potential attempts to incite unrest, the police are actively monitoring social media and personal spaces for discussions related to the Gyanvapi issue. They are also compiling a list of individuals and groups accused of instigating violence during the citizenship law protests in 2020, scrutinizing travel details and other activities of the suspects.
The North East District Police, on alert since 2020, maintains a list of individuals suspected of disrupting the atmosphere, emphasizing the proactive measures being taken to ensure communal harmony and public safety.
