The 'Neja Mela', which is held every year in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, in memory of Saiyyad Salar Masud Ghazi, will not take place this time. The police have made it clear to the organisers that they will not allow the event to take place in the name of ‘robbers’.
Additional Police Superintendent Shreeshchandra stated that the Neja Mela has been organised in Sambhal in the past. However, some people have raised objections regarding it.
He mentioned that this mela has been held in memory of Abdul Salar Masud Ghazi.
People have pointed out that Ghazi Salar was a robber who looted the Somnath Temple, destroyed many temples, and was responsible for several murders, said the officer.
Organising an event in his memory is not appropriate, he added. It is not right to commemorate a robber and murderer, he said. This decision has been made considering the law and order situation.
Organisers have also been informed not to hold such an event. Legal action will be taken against those who spread misinformation, says the police officer.
The mela usually begins with the installation of the 30-feet pole with a green flag on its top in the mela ground on the first Tuesday after Holi.
This pole was supposed to be set up on March 18, but the police administration has put a stop to it.
The Additional Superintendent of Police stated that organising a mela in memory of Mahmud Ghaznavi's general, who looted the Somnath Temple and caused destruction and massacres in India, is not appropriate.
This tradition of holding the event in the name of a robber should not continue. It is not right to hold an event in the name of a robber and murderer.
He emphasised that if a harmful tradition has been followed for years, it is important to change it. Ghazi, the nephew of Mahmud Ghaznavi, was responsible for cruelty in India.
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