There will be no Haj pilgrimage from India this year too. State Haj Committee Chairman C. Mohammed Faizy said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia decided not to permit any pilgrims from other countries in view of the COVID-19 spread.
Although Saudi Arabia restricted this year’s Haj to 60,000 pilgrims, there was hope among Indians that at least 5,000 pilgrims would be allowed from India. “The new decision by the Saudi government has dashed all our hopes,” said Mr. Faizy. Only those in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to perform Haj this year under rigorous restrictions for COVID.
There were 6,506 applicants for this year’s Haj from Kerala. More than 2,000 of them have accepted two doses of COVID vaccine as part of their preparation for the pilgrimage with the support of the State Haj Committee. “It is a sad blow to their hopes,” said the Haj Committee chairman, exhorting them to exercise forbearance and to pray for global peace and health.
Although 10,834 applicants had got selected for Haj in 2020 from Kerala, none could go to Makkah as Saudi Arabia banned pilgrims from other countries. The Haj committee had returned their money and documents.
