Khilafat agrees, Red Rd Eid namaz shifts to Brigade this year

Kolkata: City's largest Eid-uz-Zuha congregation will shift from its traditional Red Road venue to the Brigade Parade Grounds this year. It was decided following a series of meetings between Kolkata Police and the organisers over crowd management and traffic arrangements that culminated on Sunday.Police had earlier asked members of the Calcutta Khilafat Committee to explore alternative locations close to Red Road. After discussions over the past few days, the Brigade Parade Ground was finalised as the venue. A senior police officer said the necessary no-objection certificate from the Army, custodian of the Maidan, had been received for the Brigade venue. Organisers, however, said they were awaiting formal communication from the authorities. Javed Ahmed Khan, Trinamool Congress MLA from Kasba and president of the Calcutta Khilafat Committee that looks after the logistics of the prayers, said that Brigade has been finalised as the Eid prayer venue."We, however, are yet to decide what to do if it rains. But so far this year's prayer venue will be the Brigade Parade Ground," said Khan.Another senior member of the committee told TOI: "Brigade has been finalised as lakhs of people will congregate to offer prayers. The arrangements like setting up microphones and signages will start soon."Sudeep Sarkar, joint CP (headquarters), said that the Brigade ground was finalised after talking to all stakeholders. However, he refused to share the details about how police managed to speak to all stakeholders. Sources said there was assurance from cops of making arrangements in case it rains on Eid day.For decades, Eid prayers have been organised on Red Road with permission from the Army. The congregation, among the largest in eastern India, was disrupted only during the Covid years. Every year, organisers coordinate with Kolkata Police for security arrangements, traffic regulation and crowd movement. The change in location for prayers is being done in the backdrop of recent administrative directives issued by the newly elected BJP govt to ensure that loudspeaker sound did not travel beyond religious precincts and that congregations did not block roads or inconvenience the public, except on special occasions.In 1919, the Eid congregation was shifted from Shahid Minar to Red Road when the Shahid Minar ground got waterlogged.Meanwhile, Bidhannagar and Kolkata Police are holding peace and coordination meetings with imams, mosque committee members and community leaders across several areas. Officials of Bidhannagar North and Technocity police stations urged strict adherence to existing rules on animal sacrifice and asked people not to use loudspeakers without prior permission to maintain peace and communal harmony.(With inputs from Srishti Lakhotia & Sarthak Ganguly)