At the Eid namaz, organised by Harmony Association of Salt Lake City, around 400-500 people had gathered at Nazrul Park. And at the entrance to the park, there were at least nine police personnel and two gun-toting Central force jawans on guard. The sight drew mixed reaction from the congregation members.
“One has to move with the times. Ideally politics should be separated from religion, but then every government has a stance and the sooner we accept it, the sooner we can get on with our lives,” said a retired government employee, asking not to be named. “When we went to seek permission for this event to the police, they informed us that Central forces had been retained in the state for an extended period after the polls and that the jawans would be assisting them on Eid duty. We didn’t think much of it,” added the Sector II resident, who is on the organising committee.
But not everyone viewed the deployment casually. “The jawans with guns were stationed outside to create fear among us,” said another retired government officer bitterly. “This namaz gathering is being held since the 1990s and we have never had any trouble here to deserve to be under the watch of Central forces.”
The imam at the meet, Khurshid Alam, asked the congregation to comply with government rules over the microphone, and none of the devotees The Telegraph Salt Lake spoke to expressed objections to either the reduction of Eid holiday from two days to one or the ban on namaz on public roads — two measures introduced by the new BJP government for this year’s festival.
“It’s a positive step,” said Imran Ahmed of GC Block. “Islam never asks one to create disturbance. Multiple batches of namaz indoors are a welcome move,” said the GC Block resident who, like many in Salt Lake, offers Friday prayers at the West Bengal Minorities Development and Finance Corporation in DD Block. Rahaman even recalled that this is how prayers are offered in California, where he has stayed.
But Imran felt it was obvious that the illegal buildings that had started being bulldozed in places like Topsia (till the judiciary stayed the action) belonged to Muslim communities. “Target those who sanctioned these houses in the first place. Why render homeless families that poured their life’s savings into these houses?” he asked.
Secretary of the group, Monirul Mollah, said the restrictions on cow slaughter should cause no surprise as it is simply the implementation of a 1950 rule. “Cows were in any case never sacrificed in Salt Lake. For that, residents went back to their villages,” he said.
But rules should be uniform, argued another devotee. “If cows cannot be sold or slaughtered until they are 14 years old, then why should they be allowed to be slaughtered after that age? Shouldn’t one’s devotion towards the cow remain consistent throughout its life?” argued the elderly gentleman. “Similarly, if offering namaz on the streets is considered a traffic obstruction and restricted, the same rule should apply to Durga puja pandals. Roads should not be blocked for any religious activity.”
President of the association Syed Nasiruddin said they had gone to invite the new MLA of Bidhannagar, Sharadwat Mukherjee, who is from the BJP. Though he could not attend, he had offered co-operation. “We are abiding by all rules,” said Nasiruddin, who was a special secretary to the state government in the tenure of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as chief minister. “On this sacred day, we wish to convey to the government that we want peace and expect equal treatment with all other communities.”
Shahid Wasim Ahmed , a resident of FE Block, recalled a time when Hindu neighbours would come on this day and ask him to blow on their children as they believed one was purified and blessed after performing the Eid namaz. “After having seen such harmonious days, we are disappointed with the environment now,” said the 77-year-old with a sigh.