Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated with festive fervour

A spirit of bonhomie and festive cheer marked Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations across the country on Saturday, as people exchanged greetings and large gatherings were seen at mosques and religious shrines for taking part in the observances. 

In Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar, Hazratbal shrine saw a congregation of more than 60,000 people offering the morning prayers with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeedand his predecessor Omar Abdullah present among the devout. 

However, the state also reported some stray incidents of stone-pelting on security personnel amidst security measures which saw top separatist leaders being placed under house arrest ahead of the festival, which marks the culmination of the holy fasting month of Ramzan. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh extended Eid-ul-Fitr greetings to the people with the former saying that the “festival epitomises values of brotherhood and harmony in society”. 

Bollywood stars, too, spread the cheer and took to social media to extend Eid greetings to their fans and peers. In the national capital, hundreds of faithful turned up at historic Jama Masjid, Fathepuri Masjid, Hazrat Nizamuddin and other mosques to offer prayers. 

Soon after the namaz was over, people hugged each other as per the tradition and mosques reverberated with cries of “Eid Mubarak”. 

People were seen exchanging gifts and indulging their taste buds on special dishes, particularly ‘sewayian’ and different varieties of biryani and kebabs. 

Elders gave ‘eidee’ (token money) to children. People visited relatives and gave alms to the needy. 

In Srinagar, after Hazratbal, the second-largest congregation, of 50,00 people, had gathered at the Eidgah to offer prayers. Large gatherings were reported in the Baramulla and Anantnag districts headquarters as well. 

Even as the prayers passed off peacefully everywhere in Kashmir, police said that a few isolated incidents of stone- pelting on security forces occurred in Srinagar and Anantnag town in south Kashmir. 

Nobody was hurt in these clashes and police and other agencies were able to restore law and order within a short span of time. 

Top separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan and Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai were placed under house arrest as a precautionary measure, the officials said.