MEERUT, Nov. 20 -- A 22-km foot march proposed by the Harihar Sena from Maa Kaila Devi Temple to a 'disputed site' was cancelled in Sambhal on Wednesday following intervention by district magistrate Rajendra Pensiya. He made a phone call to the temple's Mahant, put it on speaker before a large gathering, and appealed to him to restrict the march to the temple premises for the sake of maintaining law and order. Founder of Harihar Sena, mahant Rishiraj Giri, had announced a 'Harihar Mandir Padyatra' on November 19 during which devotees planned to cover a circumambulation route around the disputed complex. The controversy traces back to the same day last year, when Hindu organisations filed a petition in Sambhal Court claiming the Jama Masjid to be the Harihar Temple. The court had ordered a commissioner survey, which was conducted that evening. When the survey team returned on November 24 for further inspection, violence broke out, resulting in the death of four people. "I request all seers to carry out the march only within the temple premises. Please do not undertake the 22-km yatra and cooperate with the administration in maintaining peace," the DM told the Mahant. After the conversation, Mahant Rishiraj cancelled the long march and permitted only a 1-km circumambulation around the Maa Kaila Devi Temple. Addressing his supporters, he remarked, "We will wait for 2026." Before the cancellation, thousands of people had gathered inside the temple complex, many arriving by tractor-trolleys and trucks. Police had placed barricades outside the temple to prevent the march from proceeding, which led to an argument. The Mahant, accompanied by his supporters, attempted to remove the barricades. When stopped by police, he expressed anger at the inspector, saying: "Remove the barricades, let our supporters in. We will perform the circumambulation of the Harihar Temple enclosure." To prevent the procession, barricades were placed at multiple points. Over 200 personnel from the RAF and PAC were deployed, along with forces from eight police stations and four circle officers. Surveillance was maintained through 400 CCTV cameras and drone monitoring throughout the area. Three days ago, Mahant Rishiraj Giri had announced a march from Maa Kailadevi Dham to the disputed site, saying that devotees would circumambulate the Harihar Temple enclosure. This announcement triggered objections from Zafar Ali, president of the Sambhal's Jama Masjid Management Committee committee. He argued that starting such a tradition was inappropriate, claiming that no circumambulation had ever taken place at the mosque....