THE ADMINISTRATION authorities here heaved a sigh of relief after the Chehellum procession passed off peacefully amidst tight security arrangements in Old City on Tuesday.
The solemnity of the month-long mourning, which is observed to remember the tragic events of the Karbala battle, hung heavy in the air. Dressed in black thousands of mourners thronged to the Imambara Nazim Sahab on Victoria Street, where they were addressed by prominent cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad.
Besides narrating the historic happenings at Karbala, Maulana Jawad urged the gathering to foster friendly ties with their Sunni brethren and be on guard against those out to vitiate the atmosphere.
The sermon over, mourners carrying ‘alams’ trooped out of the Imambara at around 1.45 pm to begin their long trek to Karbala Talkatora. The burden of security ‘bandobast’ on the administration was palpable. Senior administration and police officers including District Magistrate RN Tripathi and ADM (Executive) NP Singh had stationed themselves at the Nakkhas police outpost to monitor the security arrangements.
There was an outburst of emotions by women, who had lined up on both the sides of street, as people carrying vibrant banners black, green and blue walked by them in small groups, each representing a different ‘anjuman’ (organization).
Each and every moment of the event was being recorded by videographers, who along with policemen had positioned themselves on the rooftop of houses along the procession route. Roadside stalls were set up along the route to serve water and gruel through a mobile van to the devotees. The high point of the event was a ‘matam’ performed by machetes and knives by a group of youngsters.
{{/usCountry}}Each and every moment of the event was being recorded by videographers, who along with policemen had positioned themselves on the rooftop of houses along the procession route. Roadside stalls were set up along the route to serve water and gruel through a mobile van to the devotees. The high point of the event was a ‘matam’ performed by machetes and knives by a group of youngsters.
{{/usCountry}}After passing through Nakkhas, Bazar Khala and Bulaki ka Adda, the procession culminated inside Karbala Talkatora at around 7 pm. “The peaceful passing of the event has proved that the recent clashes were just an aberration,” commented an administration official.