GUWAHATI: The much awaited Eid-ul-Adha was celebrated across Assam on Wednesday with a limited number of people offering prayers at mosques because of Covid-19 curbs.
According to reports from various districts, the usual buzz was missing as people celebrated the festival in the confines of their homes with full adherence to Covid-19 protocols.
Just five people offered namaz with masks on while maintaining physical distance at the Bura Jame Masjid, the oldest mosque in the city. The origin of the mosque can be traced to the time of the Mughal invasion in 1615.
During the reign of Ahom King Swargadeo Rudra Singha (1696-1714), the mosque came up but it collapsed in an earthquake later and was reconstructed in the 19th century.
The mosque committee said that the mosque never looked like this before the pandemic. “We never thought that we would have to experience such a time where people would live in fear of death due to a virus. We missed Eid-ul-Fitre due to the pandemic in May. We pray to Allah to show mercy and bless us all,” said a member of the committee.
On earlier occasions, the mosque saw a gathering of about 1,200 people on such occasions.
Considering the constant surge in Covid-19 positive cases, the state government on Monday issued certain restrictions on public movement and gathering. This resulted in a deserted look at mosques and the Eidgah maidans in the city as well as in other parts of the state.
A 12-hour curfew, from 5 pm to 5 am, has been imposed on 27 districts, including Kamrup (Metro). While five districts are under total curfew, two districts are under 16-hour curfew from 1 pm to 5 am.
The new Covid-19 SOP issued by chief secretary Jishnu Barua on Monday said that everyone has to celebrate Eid at home. Religious rituals like namaaz can be offered at mosques with not more than five persons, including the religious head.
There was a rush in markets, including in business hub Fancy Bazar, and the shopping malls. Fear of Covid, coupled with high prices of commodities, kept many shoppers away.
“We could not purchase as much as we wanted to because our budget was limited. Plus there are restrictions on celebrations. So it is better to keep the celebrations low key at home,” said Nekib Hussain.
The Central Hillal Committee, Assam, secretary, Alhaj Imdad Hussain, said, “We missed the Eid last year due to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. This year also we missed it. Health is a priority, not celebration. People have to be cautious. One single mistake can lead to destruction.”
