No big congregation of Eid prayers held

Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations remained subdued in Jammu and Kashmir Thursday with no major congregational prayers and community feasts held due to the corona curfew.

J&K has currently about 52,000 active cases with Srinagar district sharing the highest number.  The lockdown and curfew-like restrictions in all the districts of the UT to prevent further spread of coronavirus are in place for more than two weeks.

Across J&K all major Masjids and Eidgahs remained empty on the festival as the government has prohibited big gatherings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

This is the third consecutive Eid in Kashmir which was celebrated in a sombre atmosphere due to Coronavirus. There were no big Eid gatherings in Jamia Masjid and Dargah Hazratbal; the Masjid management committees had asked

people to offer prayers at local Masjids to avoid crowd at one place.

Police personnel made announcements early in the morning on public address systems, appealing people not to congregate for Eid prayers as restrictions were still in place as part of the lockdown.

Main markets across UT were deserted and shops remained closed and traffic off the roads.

“Usual celebrations during Ramadan were not there anywhere in J&K due to the pandemic,” a senior government official told Greater Kashmir.

“This time around, the prayers and the feast were performed at homes and community leaders took this important decision to protect the interests of the society,” he said.

“We had asked everyone to offer Eid prayers at home,” said a member of Dargah Hazratbal management committee.

On Friday also (the second day of Eid), there were no congregational prayers anywhere in the UT. The people stayed indoors and the police imposed restrictions.