Odisha Revels In Eid Festivities, No Mass Prayer At Sambalpur Eidgah Amid 46 Platoon Force Deployment

Bhubaneswar: The festival of Eid-ul-Fitr is being celebrated with great pomp across Odisha on Saturday aimd special prayers at mosques and eidgah across the state.

People greeted each other after the prayers and took part in the festivities. The main markets of the state capital Bhubaneswar and other places saw brisk shopping for the festival.

However, there was no mass prayers at Eidgah in Sambalpur on the occasion of ‘Eid-ul-fitr with curfew restrictions still in force in the western Odisha town after the April 12 and 14 violence.

Members of the minority community agreed not to congregate at the Eidgah for namaz this year as the situation continues to remain volatile, on the request of the district administration. The community decided to offer namaz separately at 10 mosques across the town.

Tight security arrangements were also made in Sambapur where 46 platoons of police force were deployed to maintain peace and prevent any untoward incident, sources said.

Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and a host of political leaders extended greetings to the people on the occasion.

Taking to Twitter, the Governor wished the people “Eid Mubarak” and hoped that the festival will spread the spirit of togetherness, harmony and peace for all.

“Warm greetings to everyone on the auspicious occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr. May Allah bring happiness, prosperity & peace in our lives and lead us on the path of compassion and love,” the Chief Minister tweeted

Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims around the globe to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramzan. Ramzan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad, according to Islamic belief.

In Sambalpur, patrolling was intensified across the city apart from heavy deployment of police force. Police personnel in strength were deployed at every mosque. Notably, over 5,000 members of the Muslim community assemble to offer namaz at the Eidgah in Sakhipara area every year during Eid-al-fitr.