No Namaz at Red Road this Eid

KOLKATA: This is for the second consecutive time, when the traditional Eid Namaz will not be held on Red Road due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Announcing this, the Imam of Nakhoda mosque, Moulana Shafique Qasmi urged

the Muslims to observe the festival maintaining Covid protocols.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and president of Trinamool Youth Congress, Abhishek Banerjee used to attend the Namaz on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.

On Thursday, Qasmi appealed to people not to make any large gathering and instead he suggested people to offer Namaz in small groups at the local mosques maintaining Covid protocols.

Before the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, nearly two lakh Muslims used to

assemble at the biggest congregation on Red Road (Indira Gandhi Sarani) to offer special prayer on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police have made elaborate arrangements for the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations on Friday.

As the Namaz will not be taking place on Red Road, no cops will be deployed there.

The divisional Deputy Commissioners have been instructed to make

arrangements for the festival locally.

The Deputy Commissioner II and two Assistant Commissioners in each division will be on the field to supervise the police deployment.

This apart, security across the city has been stepped up to avoid any untoward incident. This apart, movement of goods vehicles has been restricted other than oil tankers carrying petrol and diesel.