Particle.news
Download on the App Store
12 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

J&K Faces Backlash After LG Declines To Shift Eid-e-Milad Holiday to Saturday

Leaders call the refusal a break with the moon-sighting norm that typically guides Muslim holiday dates.

Image
Image
Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti rued that India’s only Muslim majority state doesn’t have the freedom to declare their religious occasions. (File)
Image

Overview

  • Jammu and Kashmir observed the official public holiday on Friday, September 5, while Eid-e-Milad was celebrated on Saturday, September 6, in line with the moon sighting.
  • An official September 1 letter from the Revenue Department, signed by Under Secretary Sheetal Chaudhary, asked the General Administration Department to move the holiday to Saturday, but no rescheduling order was issued.
  • Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and minister Sakina Itoo accused the Lieutenant Governor’s administration of a deliberate and insensitive refusal to align the date with the calendar’s moon-sighting caveat.
  • Valley clerics including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the Grand Mufti condemned the inaction, noting this is the second consecutive year the holiday was not adjusted to the actual date.
  • Peoples’ Conference chief Sajad Lone urged the government to grant special casual leave to Muslim employees on Saturday to offset the mismatch between the declared holiday and the festival.