Prayers, charity and camaraderie marked Eid celebrations on Thursday.
The observance, however, was muted compared to previous years. For the first time in nearly 50 years, Calcutta’s main Eid congregation was shifted from Red Road to Brigade Parade Grounds.
Several senior members of the community, including clerics, had urged Muslims to refrain from cow sacrifice in view of the state government’s push to enforce a 75-year-old law regulating animal slaughter.
Scenes before and after the namaz were also witnessed
The community complied. “Forget cow. It was hard to find even a goat slaughtered in the open. I don’t think a single cow was sacrificed in the city. People slaughtered goats, but at homes,” said a senior community leader.
While a section of Calcuttans said they welcomed the restrained celebrations, others said the government should also ensure that roads are not blocked during festivals of other religions.
At Brigade, the Eid namaz began at 8.30am. Thousands gathered, prayed together
and embraced each other after the prayers. Many attendees arrived carrying the Tricolour.
Zia Nafis, treasurer of the Calcutta Khilafat Committee, which organises the prayers, said: “Eid prayers were held on Red Road since 1978. But this time, police requested us to shift to Brigade. We complied. The law of the land is supreme.”
A young entrepreneur from Ballygunge said he was glad that the community could no longer be accused of blocking roads for prayers. “It is good if it is fair,” he added.
That sentiment was echoed across sections of the community.
An elderly man from Park Circus, who attended the prayers with his son and grandson, said he expected equal treatment for all religious festivals.
“Several roads are blocked long before Durga Puja to construct pandals. Several other religious congregations also cause roadblocks. We welcome equality. But not selective measures to enforce a misplaced sense of fairness,” said the man in his early 70s.
At Nakhoda Masjid, the Eid prayer began at 6.30am. The mosque was packed, with some worshippers spilling into the surrounding area.
“We had sought special permission from the police. We prayed for peace, equality and justice,” imam Shafique Qasmi told Metro.
At most other mosques in the city, Eid prayers were held in staggered slots to avoid overcrowding and ensure that devotees remained within the premises.
People offer Eid al-Adha prayers at Brigade Parade Ground on Thursday morning
The Ballygunge resident said he attended prayers at his local mosque in Palm Avenue. “There were two slots, at 7am and 8am. I attended the second congregation. There was no overcrowding. Animal sacrifice was also carried out in a far more hygienic way than in the past,” he said.
Zeeshan Majeed attended Eid prayers at a mosque near his Beckbagan home before visiting relatives with gifts and sweets.
Majeed, founder of the Anti-Hunger Foundation, which regularly gives food to the city’s poor, distributed mutton biryani to over 200 people in Beckbagan, Belgachia, Mallickbazar and Park Circus.
With cow sacrifice absent, demand for goats surged sharply.
“Many poor families would earlier save for months to buy a goat for sacrifice on Eid. A goat that would earlier sell for ₹10,000 sold for ₹25,000 this time. The spirit of Eid is in sharing. That is what we did,” said Majeed.
After the prayers, people visited relatives or hosted guests and shared meals.
In the evening, many families stepped out. Malls and markets reported a buzz that had been missing in the city for the past few weeks.