Sambhal (UP), Apr 12 (PTI) A grand Hanuman Jayanti procession was carried out Saturday here in the city which was scarred by communal violence last year.

The procession was taken out from the Shri Bala Ji Temple in Hallu Sarai amid tight security, with chants of “Jai Bajrangbali” echoing through the town, as it moved through several localities.

At the Shri Bala Ji Temple in Hallu Sarai, a series of devotional programmes began early morning.

Security was visibly tight, with heavy deployment of police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel across the city and along the procession route.

Nitesh Chandra, trustee of the Shri Bala Ji Temple, told PTI, “The procession started from Hallu Sarai and travelled across the town. In the morning, Lord Hanuman was adorned with a sacred cloth, followed by aarti, a havan, and devotional singing. A night vigil (jagran) will be held later and a communal feast is scheduled for tomorrow.” On November 24, the city erupted in violence during a court-ordered survey of a mosque in the Kot Garvi area of the city. Four people died and scores of others were injured in the confrontation.

The survey was ordered on a petition that claimed the mosque stood at the site of a demolished Hindu temple. The incident has left Sambhal simmering in communal tension since. PTI COR KIS VN VN