Sambhal circle inspector, Anuj Choudhary, who recently made controversial remarks on the Muslim community during Holi, has been given a clean chit by the Uttar Pradesh police.
Holi coincided with Friday prayers this year. To maintain communal peace and brotherhood in the region, a peace committee meeting was held where CO Choudhary said, “If Muslims cannot accept being colored during Holi, they should stay at home.”
His remarks sparked widespread condemnation, following which a complaint was lodged by a retired IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, who accused Choudhary of violating service and uniform conduct regulations.
The Sambhal circle inspector was not found at fault by an investigating team led by Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) Manoj Kumar Awasthi. Awasthi’s report suggested, “No credible evidence was found to support the complainant’s allegations.”
According to Maktoob Media, the investigating team recorded the statements of president of the Jan Kalyan Samiti Jitendra Verma and a person named Yaseen from Asmoli village. Interestingly, both have strongly supported the Sambhal circle inspector’s statement.
Controversy is not new to the Sambhal circle inspector. In January this year, a video emerged on social media platforms after Choudhary participated in a Hindu Yatra (procession) while in uniform. The footage depicts him holding a ceremonial mace while walking alongside saffron-clad priests and singing hymns. He also performed religious rituals in temples.
Last year, following violent clashes in Sambhal on November 24 during a survey of the Mughal era Shahi Jama Masjid, the circle inspector, when asked regarding the civilian killings in police firing, replied, “Ek padhe likhe aadmi ko, is tarah ke jaahil maar denge? Hum koi marne ke liye thode hi bharti hue hain police me (An educated man will be killed by such uncivilized people? We didn’t join the police force to die like this).”
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