By TCN Special Correspondent,
Lucknow: Barring an incident of stone pelting, the traditional Juloos Madhe Sahaba on the occasion of 12 Rabiul Awwal passed off peacefully in Lucknow on Wednesday. However, another group also succeeded in taking out a Juloos-e-Mohammadi in old city area.
The untoward incident was reported from Pajawa area in Nanak Nagar locality. Some anjumans of Sunni Muslims while proceeding for the Juloos Madhe Sahaba unfurled their flags. This was objected by some Shia youths which turned into heated arguments and sloganeering from both sides. Later, police arrived and chased them away who retaliated by pelting stones. The situation was brought under control by a mild cane charge.
Elsewhere, anjumans of Sunni sect assembled at the Aminabad Park and passed through Maulviganj, Raqabganj, Nadan Mahal Road, Nakshas, Billauchpura and Haiderganj and culminated at Aishbagh Eidgah. The procession was attended by thousands of persons reciting hymns in praise of Prophet Mohammad and his companions. The procession was welcomed at various places with flower petals. Heavy police force including DM AK Sagar and DIG DK Thakur remained present enroute. ADM City OP Pathak and SDM Kinjal Singh remained mobile in the turbulent Nakhas locality.
Later, the procession was addressed by Naib Imam Aishbagh Eidgah, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli and other clerics at the eidgah.
The congregation was also addressed by noted lawyer Zafaryab Jilani and one of the founder of procession Haji Mohd Ahmed Khan Addeb. He was also felicitated on the occasion for his association with the procession.
Haji Mohd Ahmed Khan Addeb being felicitated by Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli,Aziz Burney and Zafaryab Jilani
Earlier, in the morning another Muslim cleric Maulana Abul Irfan Farangi Mahli defying all restrictions proceeded with his Juloos-e-Mohammadi. Hundreds of people assembled at the Dargah Shahmina near CSM Medical University (CSMMU). The procession included a chariot and devotees were showering flower petals on the congregation. After the initial hiccup, they were allowed to do a round and return from the nearby Jyotiba Phule Park in Chowk. To note, this procession has not been permitted by the district administration while Maulana Irfan tried his best to take out the procession for past several years.
Another notable feature of this procession being that the anjumans who were coming to attend it were welcomed by Shia sect at Balaganj, Thakurganj and several other places striking a chord of harmony in the volatile atmosphere of old city.
Several other functions were also held in the city to mark the festivities of 12 Rabiul Awwal. The historical Tile Wali Masjid was decked up while members of Sunni Board of India distributed fruits and clothes to the poor patients in hospitals. “It was our effort to help the poor as per the teachings of Prophet Mohammad,” said Shahbuddin, the chief of Sunni Board of India.