By TwoCircles.net correspondent,
Bareilly: Eid-ul-Fitr is the festival which is eagerly awaited by the Muslims throughout the year. Treated as a gift from Allah for their Ibadat during Ramzan, the festival in India is marked with festivities, new clothes, late night marketing, meeting friends and relatives besides enjoyment.
This year also Eid was celebrated on August 20 in most of India. Muslims celebrated it with same zeal and fervour but for the residents of Bareilly the Eid festivities were marked with clock timings. By 6 pm they had to be locked inside their homes as the city was engulfed in curfew.
Bareilly which has a sizeable population of Muslims witnessed two communal riots a month back and since then the situation is far from normal. Curfew has been clamped so that situation could be brought under control. Administration has no answer if Eid festival fell during curfew days.
Administration tried to normalise the situation and a peace march was taken out in the city on Saturday before Eid which was led by Commissioner K Ram Mohan Rao, DM Abhsihek Prakash and SSP Satyendra Veer Singh. Mayor I S Tomar, Minister Bhagwat Saran Gangwar and poet Waseem Bareillvi welcomed the march and appealed for peace.
The next day on Sunday, administration gave a curfew relaxation of 12 hours from 6 am to 6 pm so that people can at least purchase things from market for the festival. Within hours, the markets were flooded with people. However mischief mongers had a field day. Somehow the rumour was spread that curfew relaxation has been curtailed by two hours. Soon there was a mad rush by everyone to reach their home leading to chaos and traffic jam. The police officials had to step out and announce in the market that public should purchase their things as the curfew relaxation timings have not been curtailed.
Eid was celebrated on Monday in a sombre atmosphere. Muslims offered namaz and some of them sported black bands to protest against the incidents in Assam, Burma and Bareilly. People greeted each other and the markets also opened as curfew was relaxed. However the tension remained palpable on every one’s face. The main namaz was held at Eidgah which was led by Mufti-e-Azam-e-Hind Akhtar Raza Khan Azhari Miyan while his son Asjad Raza Khan delivered the sermon. There were speeches by Maulana Shahabuddin, Nazim Beg and Afroz Raza. Everyone prayed for the peace and tranquility in the city. At the Jama Masjid located at Qila the Namaz was led by Mufti Tanzeem. Similar prayers were held in other mosques.
At the eidgah Commissioner K Rammohan Rao, IG Devendra Singh Chauhan along with DM, SP and PAC force were present while heavy force was stationed at every mosques. Mobile teams were also pressed into service.
Amidst this the people tried to wish each other, embrace each other, exchange Eid greetings. By 6 pm the curfew was again imposed and the city was again engulfed in silence on Eid evening.
There were some silver linings amidst all these, Lakhan Singh of Kalibari had set up his sharbat stall as usual and offered them to his Muslim brethren while an Eid Milan was organised Jogi Newada where hindus offered floral garland to Muslims.