At a coordination meeting with members of both the communities by Hyderabad City Police at the Salar Jung Museum auditorium here on Thursday, leaders and scholars of the Shia community and the Hindu community promised to help in peaceful conduct of the processions.
“There is nothing to worry. Everyone has the right not only to celebrate their own festivals, but also to participate in festivities by other groups. So it is a double celebration and we will ensure peace,” said Bhagwanth Rao of Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Committee.
Shia religious scholar and member of State Wakf Board, Maulana Nisaar Hussain Agha said it was the collective responsibility of all people to ensure peace and prevalence of law and order. “At the same time, it is also a religious obligation to see that you don’t hurt the feelings of any human being,” he said.
The police were earlier quite apprehensive as thousands of people belonging to both the communities would be on the roads to celebrate the birthday of Lord Hanuman and Hazrath Ali (a.s). A procession to mark Hanuman Jayanthi will be taken out from Ram Mandir, Gowliguda, to Tadbun in Secunderabad on Tuesday while another procession will be taken out from Old City to Kohe Moula Ali Darga at Malkajgiri the same day.
Hyderabad Commissioner M Mahender Reddy who chaired the coordination meeting expressed his gratitude to elders of both the communities. “I am happy and really thankful to the community elders who have agreed to start the processions at different timings. We will ensure full support for the processions and coordinate with other departments as well,” he said.
Joint Commissioner of Police – Rachakonda Tarun Joshi said the police has already inspected the Kohe Moula Ali shrine and works are going for the smooth conduct of the festivities there.
AIMIM MLC Altaf Hyder Rizvi, Shia Youth Conference president Hameed Hussain Jaffery and others were also present.
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