NEW DELHI, July 18:
A spirit of bonhomie and festive cheer marked Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations across the country today as people exchanged greetings and large gatherings were seen at mosques and religious shrines for taking part in the observances.
In Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar, Hazratbal shrine saw a congregation of more than 60,000 people offering the morning prayers with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his predecessor Omar Abdullah present among the devout.
However, the state also reported some stray incidents of stone-pelting on security personnel amidst security measures which saw top separatist leaders being placed under house arrest ahead of the festival, which marks the culmination of the holy fasting month of Ramzan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh extended Eid-ul-Fitr greetings to the people with the former saying that the “festival epitomises values of brotherhood and harmony in society”.
Bollywood stars, too, spread the cheer and took to social media to extend Eid greetings to their fans and peers.
In the national capital, hundreds of faithful turned up at historic Jama Masjid, Fathepuri Masjid, Hazrat Nizamuddin and other mosques to offer prayers.
Soon after the namaz was over, people hugged each other as per the tradition and mosques reverberated with cries of “Eid Mubarak”. People were seen exchanging gifts and indulging their taste buds on special dishes, particularly ‘sewayian’ and different varieties of biryani and kebabs.
Elders gave ‘eidee’ (token money) to children. People visited relatives and gave alms to the needy.
In Srinagar, after Hazratbal, the second-largest congregation, of 50,00 people, had gathered at the Eidgah to offer prayers. Large gatherings were reported in the Baramulla and Anantnag districts headquarters as well.
Even as the prayers passed off peacefully everywhere in Kashmir, police said that a few isolated incidents of stone- pelting on security forces occurred in Srinagar and Anantnag town in south Kashmir.
Nobody was hurt in these clashes and police and other agencies were able to restore law and order within a short span of time.
Top separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan and Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai were placed under house arrest as a precautionary measure, the officials said.
In the northern region, Eid-ul Fitr was celebrated with
enthusiasm and traditional fervour in many parts of Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
Maulana Inam Gauri led Eid prayers at the international headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community at Qadian town in Gurdaspur district.
People from all walks of life participated in the prayers and greeted their Muslim brothers on the occasion.
The BSF personnel deployed on duty also took part in the Eid prayers at different mosques in Punjab, reports said.
Down south, in Kerala, mosques and idgahs witnessed a heavy rush of devotees since early morning.
Religious scholars delivered sermons urging devotees to uphold values of love, compassion, fraternity and social harmony while charitable organisations distributed new clothes and gifts among inmates of ‘yatim-khanas’ (orphanages managed by Muslims) in various parts of the state.
Sumptuous feasts with an array of delicacies were prepared as part of the festivities in Muslim homes.
Kerala Governor Justice (retd) P Sathasivam, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan greeted people on the occasion.
Among the Bollywood celebrities who sent out Eid greetings were Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn.
Bachchan wrote on his blog, “On this auspicious occasion of celebration and prayer and love and peace and forgiveness and blessings… May the One Above, may Allah, give and bestow his very best for us all.”
Shah Rukh, who is currently shooting in Bulgaria, tweeted, “Chand Mubarak. May Allah give you all that is beautiful in this world. And above all may Allah give you, your own, who love you unconditionally.”
Meanwhile, amidst the prevailing tension between India and Pakistan over ceasefire violations along their border, Pakistani Rangers refused to accept sweets offered by BSF on the occasion of Eid.
BSF DIG in Amritsar, MF Farooqui, told reporters that their gesture at the Attari-Wagah border of sending sweets was not reciprocated by the other side.
BSF, however, said it did not offer any sweets to their counterparts along the International Border in Jammu as a mark of protest against the ongoing spate of ceasefire violations along this frontier and the Line of Control. (PTI)
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