Lucknow: In a goodwill gesture and to avoid any kind of unwanted incident, executive committee member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Imam of the Aishbagh Eidgah Maulana Rashid Farangi Mahali, along with Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad Naqvi, has decided to change the timings of Friday prayers citing Holi festivities.

Muslim clerics have also urged mosques in mixed population areas to postpone their Friday prayers on March 2 keeping sentiments of Hindu community in mind.

At one hand Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali has shifted the Friday Prayer timing from 12:45 pm to 1:45 pm for Sunnis, the Friday prayers at Asafi Mosque for the Shia community will be held at 1 pm instead of the regular 12:22 pm, said Imam-e-Jumah, Maulana Kalbe Jawad Naqvi.

Speaking to news18, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Faranagi Mahali said, “The official permission to play colours on Friday is till 12 pm, but generally people play colours a little more than prescribed time. We thought it will be best if all mosques, especially those in mixed population areas, can just push their Friday prayer timings by just half an hour, in order to avoid any kind of unwanted situation.”

With the festival of Holi falling on Friday, the police and administration are on their toes to keep the celebrations peaceful, especially in the areas which are prone to communal tensions. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarnagar, Anant Deo has urged people to keep calm and to follow the path shown by Prophet Mohammad.

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, CM Yogi Adityanath has directed police officials to ensure communication and consent with all the communities so that no one should get a chance to raise questions over intentions of the government or working of the administration. CM Yogi Adityanath held a meeting via video conferencing in connection with preparations for peaceful Holi celebrations with all the Divisional Commissioners, IGs, DIGs and District Magistrates.

The CM also suggested that with the help of meetings of peace committees in all the districts and dialogue with member of other communities, peaceful Holi celebrations must be ensured at any cost.

The Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, Om Prakash Singh has instructed that arrangements for the deployment of police force should be monitored by senior police superintendents of police themselves. Also, the police will keep an eye on the social media platforms and will monitor for any kind of rumours that may be circulated.