Hindus and Muslims embraced each other on Sunday as part of the Ram Navami celebrations across various parts of north Bengal, helping ease recent tensions that had emerged in some areas of the region.

Ram Navami is celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Ram.

One of the most striking scenes of unity was witnessed in Siliguri, north Bengal’s largest town. Throughout the day, a large procession of devotees moved through the city, culminating at Hashmi Chowk. There, members of the Muslim community welcomed the rally with flower showers, offered cold drinks and water, and joined in to click pictures with the participants.

“This was a beautiful display of faith, tradition and togetherness, as the entire city joined the celebration,” said Raju Bista, BJP MP from Darjeeling, who also participated in the rally.

The rally began from the Hanuman Temple premises in Mallaguri and made its way through key locations such as Mahatma Gandhi More, Sevoke More, and Hashmi Chowk, with participants chanting religious slogans.

Siliguri police commissioner C. Sudhakar, along with senior officers, were on the road through the day to prevent any untoward incident.

Malda, which witnessed communal clashes recently, displayed camaraderie on Sunday. In English bazar, Muslims welcomed the Ram Navami rally with flower showers, sweets, and drinks. Hindus from the rally responded with equal warmth, and many from both communities embraced one another. Some rallyists carried sharp weapons, but no untoward incident was reported.

A notable change in slogans was also heard. “Hindu Hindu Bhai Bhai (All Hindus are brothers)” recently chanted by the saffron ecosystem, was replaced with “Hindu Muslim Bhai Bhai (Hindus and Muslims are brothers)”.

At Foara More, Muslim leaders and Malda North BJP MP Khagen Murmu embraced each other when the rally arrived.

“This is the true spirit of Malda and India. This harmony should prevail,” said Md Nurul Islam, a Malda resident, showering petals on the rallyists.

“Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always promoted inclusive values. The gesture from our Muslim brothers reflects the true ethos of India,” said Murmu.

In Harishchandrapur block, Muslims offered sherbets to rallyists.