Jorhat, Aug. 31: In a rare gesture of communal harmony, a few Hindus swept the Nakachari idgah clean just before the Id-ul-Fitr namaz was offered today.

Nurul Hussain, a resident of the area and chairman of the Titabar sub-division Minority Development Board, said it was generous of the Hindus, who arrived early in the morning and cleaned the place where the devotees kneel for prayer. They also helped to lay the prayer mats.

“We would like to convey to the world this message that the Hindus and Muslims can live happily by helping each other,” Hussain said.

Balli Singh, a farmer at Nakachari, said he has grown up with Muslim friends and they are like his brothers. “It is our duty to offer a helping hand to our Muslim brothers on this auspicious day.”

Sushil Bora, another resident of Nakachari, said it is not only the Hindus helping the Muslims in Nakachari, but the Muslims also come out to help during Hindu festivals. “Several Muslim friends are actively involved in Durga Puja celebrations,” he said.

Hussain himself had donated Rs 6,000 a year ago for a singhasan on which kirtan, the holy book of the Vaishnavites, is kept at a namghar inside the Deberapar police outpost complex of Nakachari.

Hussain said his offering was the first step in establishing friendly ties between different castes and communities of the area.

“The naamghar has become a symbol of brotherhood between different communities here, as it was inaugurated by Bhaba Krishna Goswami, the xatradhikar of Boralengi Xatra, in Lakhimpur and the function was attended by Wati Ao, the pastor of Ao Baptist Church of Charing Basti in Mokokchung district of neighbouring state of Nagaland,” he said.

Nakachari, a semi-urban location, is about 25km from Jorhat town and adjoins the Gibbon wildlife sanctuary.

In Jorhat, despite the heat, Muslims came out in large numbers in traditional dresses to offer namaz at the end of Ramazan. The namaz at the Jorhat idgah was led by the imam of Rajabari mosque, Idris Ali, today.