1 week ago
1
Kolkata’s Id-ul-Azha celebrations this twelvemonth were marked by a large displacement successful venue, moving from the accepted Red Road to the Brigade Parade Ground for the greeting prayers. The festival also witnessed no nationalist slaughter of animals aft a May 13 notification by the West Bengal authorities banned the same.
Trinamool Congress MLA from Kasba constituency, Javed Khan, visited the Brigade Ground to connection his prayers connected Id-ul-Azha connected Thursday (May 28, 2026) morning. “None of america is extracurricular the law. We are each citizens here. Have to abide by immoderate instrumentality the existent authorities passes,” Mr. Khan said astir the venue shifting.
Mallick Md. Ishak, associated secretary, Calcutta Khilafat Committee, the organisers of the Id namaz offerings astatine the Brigade Ground, told The Hindu that they were blessed to offer namaz at the caller venue. “We happily read the namaz here. We are thankful to the medication and constabulary for helping us organise and displacement the venue here,” Mr. Ishak said.
Hundreds gathered connected the crushed aboriginal connected Thursday, May 28, 2026, successful crisp achromatic apparel to connection their prayers. | Photo Credit: Shrabana Chatterjee
Hundreds gathered connected the ground early on Thursday in crisp achromatic apparel to connection their prayers.
“We are blessed with the arrangements made here. The Brigade Parade Ground is simply a historical spot wherever many important figures have walked. We consciousness fortunate to beryllium present to connection our namaz. But we besides privation to accidental that determination should beryllium nary partiality and favoritism against america based connected religion,” a antheral who had travel to connection namaz said. He added that radical of different religions are allowed to behaviour their festivities connected roads, portion restrictions are being imposed connected his assemblage specifically.
On Id-ul-Azha, usually cattle sacrifices events are held crossed Kolkata. However, this year, no specified lawsuit was witnessed after animal slaughter was banned successful the State without due certificate for slaughter from a veterinary doctor and authorities authorities. The animal has to be supra the property of 14 and declared acceptable for slaughter and past it tin beryllium permitted for consumption.
“An animal, successful respect of which a certificate has been issued, shall beryllium slaughtered lone successful a Municipal Slaughter House oregon immoderate different Slaughter House identified by the section administration; Slaughtering of animals, for which a certificate has been issued, shall beryllium strictly prohibited successful immoderate unfastened nationalist place,” the State authorities notification had stated connected May 13. It besides warned that anyone who fails to abide by these rules whitethorn beryllium jailed for up to six months and fined ₹1,000.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee and wide caput Abhishek Banerjee offered their Id greetings on their social media.
Morning namaz was moved from Red Road to Brigade Parade Ground this year. | Photo Credit: Shrabana Chatterjee
Curbs connected celebrations
Leading up to this Id, West Bengal saw galore caller rules and regulations astir festivities that brought restrictions for Muslims celebrating Id.
Due to fearfulness of backlash, the merchantability of cows successful wholesale markets crossed the State went down drastically. As astir of the cattle owners successful Bengal are Hindus, who rear them for milk, there was large distress among them — galore of whom complained astir mounting debts with no option to merchantability their cows.
“These cows bash not nutrient beverage aft six years. How tin we support feeding the cows for 8 years erstwhile it serves america nary purpose? Muslims are present refusing to bargain cows from us, we are successful heavy trouble. We person taken lakhs in loan to bargain these cows due to the fact that this is simply a business. Once the beverage dries up, we merchantability it to our Muslim brothers during Bakri-Eid,” a cattle proprietor said.
In galore places, imams of mosques requested the Muslim assemblage to refrain from eating beef to debar immoderate conflict. Beef sales in shops besides reduced dramatically. Many restaurants that are celebrated for their beef dishes also hung up “no beef” signs connected their doors and took beef dishes disconnected the menu.
On May 11, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Arjun Singh stated that no namaz offerings would beryllium allowed connected roads. “Loudspeakers and roadside namaz will not beryllium allowed. They tin offer namaz in mosques. Why artifact roads?” Mr. Singh had said.
