West Bengal’s ruling party Trinamool Congress has requested members of the Muslim community to not display weapons, swords, and lathis during Muharram processions. They have also appealed to not let children use any weapons during the festival.
“We cannot fully stop this [arms procession] in one year. But the appeal will have a positive response this year,” TMC MP Idris Ali told The Hindu after reportedly appealing to the people.
Such steps have been undertaken after the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights instructed all the District Magistrates to ensure that children participating in Muharram processions did not carry any arms, said a report in the daily.
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Iris also said that carrying arms during Muharram procession was anti-Islamic and that many imams had also made similar appeals.
Muharram will be observed on Friday.
Following a Cabinet meeting at the State Secretariat later in the evening, State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee called for people to maintain peace during the occasion.