The Asian Age

Namaz offered inside mosques, not on roads for 1st time: L-G

‘Muslim community ensured that traffic on roads wasn’t affected’

- AGE CORRESPOND­ENT

Lieutenant-governor V.K. Saxena said this year’s Id was perhaps for the first time in the history of Delhi that ‘namaz’ was offered inside mosques and not on the roads, and added that it was an excellent example of harmony and co-existence.

L-G Saxena greeted people on the occasion of Id on Thursday and said this showed that all issues can be solved with mutual discussion­s and goodwill.

In a series of posts on X, the L-G said that nowhere in Delhi ‘namaz’ was offered on the road and that there was no “untoward incident” anywhere.

“Reiteratin­g the greetings of Id-ul-Fitr, I heartily thank the Imams of all the mosques and idgahs of Delhi and all our Muslim brothers for offering prayers inside the mosque premises,” L-G Saxena wrote on X in Hindi.

He said that by organising and offering prayers inside the mosque premises, albeit at staggered timings, the ‘imams’ and members of the Muslim community “ensured that traffic on the roads was not affected, and no untoward incident took place and the common people did not face any problem.”

“This is perhaps the first time in the history of Delhi that people offered ‘namaz’ entirely inside the mosques and idgahs and not on the roads. By doing this today, Delhi has set a great example of harmony and cooperatio­n for the country,” he said.

The L-G said that on April 4, he had discussed and appealed in this regard in a meeting with several ‘imams’ of Delhi. The community welcomed his suggestion of staggered timings of ‘namaz’ and assured him that it will be implemente­d.

“Today, ‘namaz’ was not offered on the streets anywhere in Delhi nor did any untoward incident occur. Everything was completed in a cordial atmosphere. It is clear that all issues can be resolved through mutual discussion and goodwill,” he added.

 ?? — G.N. JHA ?? Devotees offer namaz at the Jama Masjid during the Id-ul-Fitr festival in New Delhi on Thursday.
— G.N. JHA Devotees offer namaz at the Jama Masjid during the Id-ul-Fitr festival in New Delhi on Thursday.
 ?? V.K. Saxena ??
V.K. Saxena

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