Row erupts in Bihar over mayor's call for 'break' during Holi to facilitate namaaz
Darbhanga/Patna (Bihar), Mar 12 (PTI): A fresh controversy over Holi and Friday namaaz during Ramzan erupted in Bihar with the mayor of Darbhanga town advocating a "two-hour break" in celebration of the festival of colours to facilitate the Muslim prayers.
The proposal was mooted by Anjum Ara at a meeting of the peace committee in the north Bihar town recently.
Later, while interacting with reporters, she said, "My plea was that the time of 'jumma namaaz' cannot be deferred. So, let there be a two-hour break, from noon to 2 pm, during which Hindus shall avoid places in the vicinity of mosques."
"This would enable people from both faiths to carry out their respective practices without any hassles. We understand that Holi comes only once in a year. But we also need to keep in mind that for Muslims, it is the holy month of Ramzan," the mayor added.
Her remarks drew an angry response from Hari Bhushan Thakur Bachaul, a BJP MLA from the adjoining district of Madhubani, who was recently in news for asking Muslims to "stay indoors" if they had a problem with Holi.
Talking to reporters on the state assembly premises, he said, "Where are the self-proclaimed secularists who were attacking me? The mayor of Darbhanga has virtually called for 'Ghazwa-e-Hind', to convert India into an Islamic caliphate."
He also warned of a "pratikaar (retaliation) against those who first partitioned the country and are now intruding into the social life of Hindus".
He also sought "investigation into shady (sandigdh) record" of Ara and her family, who are said to be supporters of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), a BJP ally.
However, senior JD(U) leader and minister Shravan Kumar said, "The administration is not supposed to tell the people when and how to celebrate a festival. These decisions are best left to the society and the administration must always concentrate on maintaining rule of law."
He also disapproved of the remarks by Bachaul, saying, "Elected representatives must never use a language that hurts a section of the society."
RJD MLA Bhai Virendra, whose party is considered the first choice of Muslims in Bihar, felt the mayor of Darbhanga had come up with "a response to the polarising tactics of the likes of Bachaul, who are hell-bent upon destroying 'Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb' (communal harmony)".
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Delhi's air quality in 'very poor' category at 386, 'severe' at 16 stations
New Delhi (PTI): The air quality in the national capital was recorded in the "very poor" category on Sunday morning, with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 386, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Data from the CPCB's Sameer app revealed that 16 monitoring stations in the city reported air quality in the "severe" category, while the remaining stations recorded "very poor" levels.
As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe".
The minimum temperature settled at 9.4 degrees Celsius, which is 1.3 degrees above the season's average, while the humidity was recorded at 91 per cent at 8:30 am, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 17 degrees Celsius, with the IMD forecasting a yellow alert for the city due to moderate fog.
