THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, DELHI

As a result of concerted initiatives by  Hon’ble LG, Shri VK Saxena,  Eid prayers were offered today exclusively within the campuses and boundaries of different mosques and eidgaahs  in the national capital peacefully and harmoniously without any disruption at public places/roads and without any untoward incident  across the city. For the first time, Eid prayers (Namaaz) were offered within the mosque premises only and not a single devotee offered Namaaz on roads and streets, as discussed and agreed upon in the meeting of religious leaders from the Muslim Community / Imams heading various mosques in the city, with Hon’ble LG on 03.04.2024.

Hon’ble LG had in the meeting, suggested the option of deferred / staggered timings for offering Namaaz in the Mosques, wherein groups of devotees could offer Namaaz at different times, thereby avoiding crowd overflow on streets. The suggestion was unanimously accepted by the religious leaders/Imams and in almost all mosques that witness large gathering of devotees, Namaaz was offered in two shifts which helped manage the crowd effectively.

Accordingly, the decisions were conveyed to the Delhi Police Commissioner to take necessary steps in this regard. Delhi police was instructed to sensitize field officers for consultation with the local Imams to announce staggered prayer timings so that namaz was not offered on public roads and streets and thereby ensure that there was no inconvenience for traffic movement while  ensuring that festivities are carried out peacefully.

Local DCsP / DMs were instructed to obtain alternate public places for offering Namaaz, in case the deferred timings did not prove sufficient for accommodating the congregation of devotees, upon requests thereof from area Imams.
 

Hon’ble LG, Shri Saxena, while congratulating and greeting people on Eid, also expressed his gratitude towards the muslim community and its leaders for their cooperation which essentially resulted in peaceful celebrations. He said this was for the first time in Delhi that no devotee offered Namaaz on the roads and streets and hence, any eventuality of a flare up by miscreants/ vested groups was also averted.

In the meeting, the LG had emphasized that using of common public spaces not only put the traffic and regular movement of the people in the city at jeopardy, but also provided opportunities to elements with vested interests to create undesirable schism and exacerbate communal tension.

Hon’ble LG suggested that if the number of devotees was more than what the mosques and Eidgahs could accommodate for Namaaz, the administration - police and civil - could provide additional temporary space in parks, etc. for the same.  

The Imams and religious leaders, appreciating the concerns raised by Hon’ble LG, unanimously accepted the suggestion of resorting to deferred / staggered timings for Namaaz and additionally using public spaces. Further, different mosques also issued advisory to devotees regarding staggered timings for Namaaz in Eid, which was duly followed by the leaders and devotees.

  
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