Bengal celebrates Eid with religious fervour

Kolkata June 26 (IANS) Dressed in traditional attire the Muslim community members in West Bengal celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr on Monday with religious fervour.

Since morning people gathered at mosques including the city s main Nakhoda Masjid to offer prayers and greet one another on the auspicious occasion.

The festival marked the end of Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

After prayers and a breakfast of dates and sweets Muslim families got together for their first midday meal in a month.

Eid celebrations took place in Raja Bazaar Park Circus and Khidderpore. The sprawling Red Road in Kolkata saw a huge number of faithfuls sitting on rugs and offering prayers.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also greeted people on this auspicious occasion.

Participating in celebrations at Red Road the Trinamool Congress supremo gave a message of communal harmony.

At the mosques Muslims hugged one another ignoring class differences. Many of those settled away from home returned to Kolkata to celebrate Eid with their families.

Heavy security arrangements were made across the city.

Fairs and cultural programmes were organised in different parts of the state.

The Muslim community in the Darjeeling hills also celebrated the Eid-ul-Fitr as people offered prayers at local mosques.

Amid the ongoing indefinite shutdown in the hills the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) leadership had announced a partial relaxation for 12 hours on Monday to enable the Muslim community celebrate the festival.

--IANS
int/bdc/ksk/vt