In a bid to maintain peace and order in the district, the Sambhal district administration on Saturday prohibited the entry of outsiders till December 10.
"No outsider, any social organisation or any public representative can enter into the borders of the district without seeking the permission of the competent authority till December 10," Sambhal district magistrate Rajendra Pensiya in a statement issued in Sambhal.
The move assumes significance as it came on a day when a 15-member delegation of the Samajwadi Party was to visit Sambhal to gather information about the violence that broke out after a survey in the Shahi Jama Masjid complex.
Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh assembly Mata Prasad Pandey, who was to lead the 15-member SP delegation, told reporters outside his residence in Lucknow that home secretary Sanjay Prasad had called him up and requested him to not visit Sambhal.
"The DM Sambhal had also called me up telling me that the ban on entry of outsiders has been extended till December 10. So I will now visit the party office and discuss the issue before deciding on our next action," said Pandey.
"The government perhaps wanted to prevent me to hide its wrongs in Sambhal as our visit would have exposed its several mistakes," he added.
Heavy security was deployed outside Pandey's residence since Friday night. -- PTI