Ranchi/Daltonganj: Ahead of Bakri Id and Muharram, Muslim notables have urged community members not to conduct sacrifice of animals that the state government has banned for slaughter in the interest of peace and amity, the appeal coming from senior clergymen from various parts of the state, including Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Daltonganj.
General secretary of Central Muharram Committee of Ranchi Akilur Rahman said they issued the appeal a couple of days ago, asking members of the community to observe Bakri Id, on August 22, and Muharram, around 20 days later, keeping the sentiments of all faiths in mind.
"There should be no qurbani (sacrifice) of animals banned for slaughter by the government under any circumstance as doing so will not just invite legal trouble but also open up possibilities of stoking tension," he told The Telegraph, referring to the Jharkhand government's decision to prohibit the slaughter of cow, calves, bull, ox and camel.
Rahman iterated that festivals were an opportunity for hosting get-togethers and exchanging pleasantries, and that everyone's feelings should be respected. He also spoke of the importance of cleanliness. "We have asked people to ensure that after qurbani the area should be cleaned properly. All families should segregate waste at a chosen location so that Ranchi Municipal Corporation vehicles can collect it easily," Rahman added.
In Jamshedpur, president of Idgah Committee and patron-in-chief of Quadri Masjid in Jugsalai Hedayatullah Khan said they had also appealed to the community, asking members to abstain from sacrificing animals whose slaughter was prohibited in the state.
"We respect the government's directive. We have also asked members of our community to ensure that waste is disposed of properly," he said.
Mukhtar Alam Khan, a peace committee member of Azadnagar in Mango, said they had held a meeting at the local police station last week. It was attended by members of the community, police and local urban body officials. "We have decided to keep tabs so that no one sacrifices animals that are in the state government's list," he said.
In Daltonganj, Anjuman Islahul Muslameen (AIM) and Muharram Inteezamiya Committee (MIC), two leading organisations of Palamau, have also issued similar appeals after holding a meeting on Sunday night.
AIM patron Rashid Ahmad Siddiqui, alias Guddu, said at the joint meeting of AIM and MIC all 45 participants urged the community to exercise restraint and refrain from sacrificing animals whose slaughter is banned in Jharkhand.
"Muslim youths have been specially asked not to post any inflammatory messages on social media to ensure that religious sentiments of other communities are not hurt," he said, adding that there was complete unanimity on the decisions.
Ranchi SP Aman Kumar said they had worked out elaborate security arrangements. "Adequate patrol vehicles will be deployed in key areas to ensure no one faces any problem. All police stations are holding peace committee meetings in their areas everyday involving people of all faiths, urging them to maintain law and order," he said.
