Hemmed in by barricades and police and paramilitary swarming all over the place, the troubled Jahangirpuri on Friday showed signs of returning to normalcy, with the local peace committee calling for communal harmony and members of the warring communities embracing each other, agreeing to let bygones be bygones.
Wearing saffron scarves and holding saffron flags, the Bajrang Dal and VHP activists on motorcycles raised 'Jai Sriram' slogans.
The scare of the pandemic, lockdown restrictions, as well as mass exodus of migrants from the city have deprived Eid of the usual festivity.
Major mosques and idghas, which see tens of thousands of people offering namaz on Eid and then embracing each other, remained mostly empty perhaps for the first time on the festival as the government has prohibited all kinds of religious gatherings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The Shahi Imam also said he will soon seek an appointment to meet Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, saying the meeting was necessary in order to safeguard Hindus, Muslims, democracy and secularism in the country.
'As per the orders of the court, the videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex took place from May 14 to May 16 from 8 am to 12 noon, and its report was to be submitted to the court'
District Judge AK Vishvesha turned down the Hindu petitioners' plea seeking scientific investigation and carbon dating of the 'shivling', citing Supreme Court directives for its safe keeping so that no tampering can be done.
Religious places including mosques have been closed for over a month now. And with clerics advising all to stay home and social distancing becoming the norm, people are unable to get together for prayers and Iftar, a ritual of breaking fast every evening, that are a key part of Islam's holiest month.
The Centre on Friday opposed before the Delhi high court fully re-opening the Nizamuddin Markaz, where the Tablighi Jamaat congregation was held in March 2020 amid COVID-19 pandemic and has remained shut since then, stating that a few people may be allowed to offer prayers on the upcoming religious occasions.
The Banaras Bar Association and Central Bar Association, Varanasi had decided to boycott work as they were upset over the remarks of a Special Secretary against lawyers because of which the hearing did not take place in the court, according to advocate Abhay Yadav, representing the Muslim side in the case.
The Places of Worship Act is 'An Act to prohibit conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August 1947, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto'.
Here are glimpses of the celebrations!
'Is it because they perceive India as a soft state?'
Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of holy month of Ramzan, is being celebrated across the world on Monday with fervour and gaiety.
Days after local civic body declared Aalamgiri Masjid 'hazardous' and pasted notice banning entry into building, Hanumangarhi temple trust, which is in possession of the masjid land, not only allowed its reconstruction and agreed to bear cost but also welcomed Muslims to offer namaz in premises.
A commission appointed by a court in Varanasi to conduct a videographic survey of the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex submitted its report on Thursday, an advocate said.
Burhanuddin Rabbani, chairman of the High Peace Council and former President of Afghanistan who met Prime minister Manmohan Singh over lunch in New Delhi on Thursday and later had delegation level talks, has expressed desire to perform Friday prayers at the historic Jama Masjid.
A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and P S Narasimha said that it is posting for October first week hearing on the appeal of Gyanvapi mosque committee's plea against the Allahabad high court order upholding the appointment of court commissioner to survey the site.
The city's main mosque will have a section especially dedicated to the women.
The restriction will have a direct impact on Eid festivities, apart from other religious gatherings.
'In AAP, those who are in charge of a particular state provide information to Arvind Kejriwal. 'In the BJP, several organisations convey what is happening on the ground to the top leadership.' 'There are so many channels through which issues are being understood.'
"People are being beaten up if they do not say 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Vande Mataram.' These incidents are not going to stop. Only Muslims and Dalits are being targeted. There are organisations behind such incidents and all of them are linked to the Sangh Parivar," he said while speaking to media persons.
What is being exposed is we have no real doctrine and no idea how to deal with the world, asserts Aakar Patel.
Authorities had allowed regular prayers inside the mosque on Wednesday for the first time after it was sealed on August 5. After eruption of militancy in the valley, this was for the first time in recent memory that no congregational prayers were offered at the mosque for 19 consecutive Fridays because of curbs by authorities.
Over two lakh violence-displaced Muslim inmates lodged in various relief camps in Assam's Dhubri, Kokrajhar and Chirang districts have the option to attend the Eid namaz either within the campus of their respective relief camps or at the Idgah maidan in the nearest locality as per the advice issued by the administration, according to an official source.
'In Yogi's Raj, Hindu festivals are State festivals.' 'He celebrates them, so does his police force, as he boasted in the assembly on Tuesday.' 'Eid, Christmas -- these can be observed, but expect nothing from the State to facilitate these celebrations,' says Jyoti Punwani.
Titled 'Yoga and Islam', the booklet is compiled by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, a wing of RSS.
With markets closed and meat supply hit due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown, Muslims are in for a Ramzan without their favourite kebabs and other chicken and mutton dishes.
Citizens report on the Hyderabad bomb blast
A number of Union ministers including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad reached the residence of Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in New Delhi to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Delhi government said gatherings with more than 50 people were not allowed in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The size of gatherings has since been reduce to 20 people.
"When lakhs of Muslims will assemble at the Eidgah on Saturday for the Eid namaz , they will also pray for peace and communal harmony across the country after the special high court bench declares its judgement in the long-pending Ayodhya case", Lucknow's Naib Imam and head of the city's oldest Islamic seminary, Firangi Mahal said on Friday.
A 25-year-old man fired two rounds in the air in the southeast Delhi locality, triggering a panic on Saturday evening. The man was later taken into custody and no one was injured in the incident.
With mosques inundated by flood waters, hundreds of people offered Friday prayers along with "funeral prayers in absentia" for those killed in the natural calamity.
The chief minister has lost her cool twice in the last few weeks over people chanting 'Jai Sri Ram' at some places in the state while her motorcade was passing through.
Here's a recap of moments captured in India in the past 24 hours.
The people of the southern part of the country could see a greater part of the partial solar eclipse because of the geometry of the eclipse path.
Governor Ram Naik and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav greeted people on the occasion at Eidgah.
'Many of them were scared. So, I went to my seniors and said I should be given the vaccine first. I wanted to prove to my colleagues that there is no need to be scared'
Despite repeated appeals from the police and the varsity authorities, the protesters refused to end their agitation. Police said the protesters did not have permission to march towards Parliament.
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