Mumbai: Graveyard, Dargah trusts appeal against crowding on Shab-e-Barat

MUMBAI:

Graveyards

and

dargahs

in the city have begun telling devotees not to crowd them on Shab-e-Barat, the night Muslims visit graveyards to pray for the dead.



Shab-e-Baraat is on April 12 but trustees of graveyards and mausoleums of Sufi saints are creating awareness that the curb on crowding and not more than 50 devotees at a time will be allowed to enter the

kabrastan

and dargahs on the sacred night. Thursday was Shab-e-Meraj, the night when the Prophet is believed to have ascended to heaven, and people were asked to pray at home and not crowd the mosques, kabrastans and dargahs. People by and large followed the instructions.

“We are creating awareness through videos, messages and signboards that crowding at kabrastan will not be allowed. We will keep masks and sanitisers at the gate but we fear overcrowding on Shab-e-Barat. A meeting with police officers is scheduled on March 17,” said Shoeb Khatib, chairman, Bombay Jama Masjid Trust which also manages the

Bada Kabrastan

at

Marine Lines

.

Sohail Khandwani, managing trustee of Mahim Dargah and trustee of Haji Ali Dargah said that the police guidelines on Shab-e-Barat would be strictly followed. “No sermons or speeches, no qawwali mehfils will be allowed inside the Dargah premises. Our volunteers will regulate the flow of the crowd and we are telling people not to crowd the Dargah on the sacred night,” said Khandwani.

Mohammed Salim Yusuf Khan, trustee of Nariyalwadi Kabrastan, said he feared overcrowding on Shab-e-Barat despite appeals from the trustees not to crowd it. “Thousands come on this night to pray for their dead relatives. How can we stop the people and control the crowd unless the police help us. We will meet the cops soon and discuss how to dissuade people from not crowding at the graveyard,” said Khan.