Pune: The Seerat Committee, Pune, has once again decided to postpone the procession of Eid-e-Milad on Prophet Muhammad’s birthday on Sept 5 to Sept 8 because of Ganapati visarjan. Although Anant Chaturdashi is on Sept 6, several mandals start queuing up on Laxmi Road a day ahead of the scheduled immersion.Deputy commissioner of police (special branch) Sandeep Bhajibhakare told TOI on Tuesday, “The committee has been celebrating Eid-e-Milad in a traditional manner for decades. We held meetings with the committee members and appealed to them to defer the procession to avoid law and order problems. They agreed to our request.”Bhajibhakare said, “Muslim youths running bazams (mandals) have also considered our appeal to defer the procession. We thank the committee and mandals for acceding to our request and deferring the procession to Sept 8. The initiative will foster communal harmony between the two communities.”The committee’s general secretary Rafiuddin Shaikh said this is the third consecutive year that the celebration has been deferred as members of Hindu and Muslim communities use the same route for taking out the procession and immersion. “The Supreme Court has banned playing loud music during religious processions; we have requested the city police to allow traditional recitations. The participants have been told not to use DJs. Loudspeakers will be used to make public announcements,” he said.The procession will start at 9am from Manusha Masjid in Nana Peth and pass through city thoroughfares, concluding at Jama Masjid in Shukruwar Peth at 2 pm, he added.Community leader Haji Zakir Shaikh said Muslims will offer prayers and undertake a number of charitable activities like providing free medical check-ups and distributing food, fruits, sharbat, and sweets to the needy and spread the message of the Prophet to maintain peace, love, and harmony in society.
