Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations in Kashmir were a low-key affair on Thursday amid a lockdown in the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
No Eid prayers were offered at the major mosques and shrines of Kashmir as police enforced a strict curfew in most parts of the valley, including Srinagar city, officials said.
People offered the Eid prayers in small congregations at local mosques, mostly early in the morning, they added. At many places, the police asked the mosque management committees not to use loudspeakers and to conclude the prayers quickly.
Muslims offer special prayers as a mark of thanksgiving to the almighty at the end of the month-long Ramzan fasting.
This is the fourth time in a row that Eid was celebrated in a subdued manner in Kashmir. Last year, Eid-ul-Azha prayers, as well as Eid-ul-Fitr prayers, could not be offered due to the pandemic.
Eid-ul-Azha prayers in 2019 could not be offered due to a strict curfew in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into Union territories.
Security personnel stand guard outside the Jama mosque in Srinagar on the day of the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr as strict curfew has been imposed amid concerns over the spread of Coronavirus. | Photo by Sajad Hameed
Kashmiri Muslims maintain social distance as they offer Eid prayers inside a mosque in Srinagar, Kashmir. | Photo by Sajad Hameed
Worshippers wearing protective face masks offer Eid ul-Fitr prayers inside a local mosque to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus in Srinagar, Kashmir. | Photo by Sajad Hameed
A Kashmiri child offers his prayers inside a local mosque on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr in Srinagar, Kashmir. | Photo by Sajad Hameed
Kashmiri women walk past security personnel on the day of the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr as strict curfew has been imposed amid concerns over the spread of Coronavirus in Srinagar, Kashmir. | Photo by Sajad Hameed
Security personnel stand guard at a deserted street as strict curfew has been imposed amid concerns over the spread of Coronavirus during the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr in Srinagar, Kashmir. | Photo by Sajad Hameed
With inputs from PTI.
