NOIDA: Muslims distributed water, juice and soft drinks to hundreds from the Hindu community who were part of a religious procession in Uttar Pradesh's Noida on Sunday, a day after communal clashes in adjoining Delhi.
The 'Shobha Yatra' was held a day after the Hanuman Jayanti, here even as the police force was on high alert in the wake of the clashes in Delhi's Jahangirpuri.
Around 300 police personnel were deployed on security duty while senior officials also hit the ground to continuously monitor the situation as several hundred saffron-clad men on foot, two-wheelers and four-wheelers went around the city roads.
Some women in saffron sarees and suits also participated in the yatra, showering rose petals on the men taking out the procession. "The Shobha Yatra started from Sector 45 and went past sectors 37, 18, 5, 8, 9, 12-22, to finally culminate at the Hanuman Mandir in Sector 34. In Sector 9's Bamboo market, the Shobha Yatra was greeted by members of the Muslim community who offered juice, cold drinks and water to the Hindus," Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)'s Noida media in-charge Rahul Dubey told PTI.
He said the event was a big success and went off peacefully, adding a huge number of supporters had turned out for the yatra which ensured there was no problem during the programme.
Videos of the Muslim community members serving water, juice and soft drinks to the Hindu procession also surfaced on social media, prompting several internet users to describe it as an example of "communal harmony".
The Noida police said the event went off peacefully and no untoward situation took place during the procession. "We had established communication with all officials well in advance. So based on the inputs from them, we had deployed adequate security. The police officials also had meetings with organizers of the procession and religious leaders at various levels, including those by ACPs and Additional DCP," DCP (Noida) Rajesh S said.
The police had barricading and other security measures in place as precautionary measures, the officer added.