Bhubaneswar: Muslims celebrated birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad on Wednesday across the state, amid prayers, colourful processions, feasts and exchange of greetings.The occasion, also called Milad-un-Nabi, passed off, by and large, peacefully with elaborate police arrangements.Members of the community joined in a colourful procession in the city from Master Canteen Square to Satya Nagar accompanied by decorative tableaux. City MLA Ananta Narayan Jena, leaders of different mosque committees, Musharaf Khan, secretary of city unit 3 mosque, and Firoz Khan, president of Jharna Sahi mosque in Forest Park area, among others, took the lead in the procession.An organiser said leaders of over 10 mosque committees from different locations in the city participated in the procession, remembered teachings of the Prophet and prayed for peace, harmony and progress of masses.Similarly, Cuttack saw a grand procession with faithfuls from different locations joining the annual event accompanied by tableaux, which culminated at Qadam Rasool, a holy shrine in Dargha Bazar.“At least 50 committees from both mosques and different lanes in the city took part in a peaceful procession,” said a senior BJD leader and former chairman of state Wakf board Sayed Ekram Hussain.A committee of youths at Dargha Bazar, on the occasion, organised a separate programme to recall the Prophet’s teachings. General secretary of Jamiat Ulama-E-Hind Odisha Mufti Molana Naqeebul Ameen Barqi and head of a city madrasa, Mufti Abdur Rahman, among others, addressed the gathering. Moquit Khan, a community leader of Muslim Jamat at Bhadrak, said they led a grand rally of nearly 60 mohalla committees to mark the occasion.The other places which witnessed such celebrations on the occasion included Balasore, Rourkela, Kendrapada and Jatni. toisiraj@gmail.com
