Hyderabad: Muslims across Telangana on Wednesday observed the ‘Youm-e Ashoora’ that falls on the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Hijri calendar. The day commemorates the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad in the battle of Karbala that was fought centuries ago.
Special prayers, meetings and feeding camps were organized across the city. Youngsters distributed water bottles and sherbet on main thoroughfares among the public, and also visited hospitals and old age homes to distribute food and fruits.
In the old city, the Bibi ka Alam (standard) was taken out in a procession from the Bibi ka Alawa at Dabeerpura. The procession started at 1 pm and passed through Shaik Faiz Kaman, Yakutpura road, Etebar Chowk, Alijah Kotla, Charminar, Gulzar Houz, Panjeshah, Mandi Mir Alam, Darulshifa before culminating at Masjid e-Ilahi at Chaderghat covering a distance of around nine kilometers.
Thousands of mourners joined the procession en-route and scores of members from the Shia community who marched along, flagellated themselves with sharp objects amidst the chants of ‘Ya Hussain’. Several other small processions joined in the main procession from across the city.
The police made elaborate arrangements for the peaceful passing of the procession for which people not only from the city but also from adjoining Vikarabad, Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda and Sangareddy districts, had come.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner, K Sreenivasa Reddy, Additional CP (law and order) Vikram Singh Mann, GHMC and HMWSSB officials and others offered ‘dhatti’ to the Alam at different places.