Muslims across Dakshina Kannada, Udupi celebrate Eid-Al-Adha
Mangaluru: Eid-al-Adha (Bakrid) is being celebrated with great enthusiasm and excitement in the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on Monday, June 17.
Muslims in the twin districts gathered for mass prayers at mosques and Eidgahs in the morning on Monday, listened to the Eid Khutba and sermons, exchanged Eid messages, and visited neighbors and relatives. People of all ages, dressed in new clothes and wearing attar, enjoyed various snacks and celebrated the festival with fervor.
Following the Eid Namaz and Khutba, many visited burial grounds to pray for the souls of departed family members. Subsequently, they visited the homes of family members, friends, and nearby residents to offer Eid greetings.
In Mangaluru, the Eid Namaz and Khutba were led by District Qazi Alhaj Twakha Ahmad Musliyar Al-Azhari at Eidgah Juma Masjid. The event was attended by notable figures including Masjid Zeenat Baksh Central Juma Masjid President Alhaj Yenepoya Abdullah Kunhi, General Secretary Hanif Haji Bunder, Treasurer Haji SM Rashid, Vice President K Ashraf, and Eidgah Masjid Khatib PH Mustafa Azhari. Khatib Abdul Akram Bakhvi of Mangalore Zeenat Baksh Central Juma Masjid led the Namaz, with Legislative Assembly Speaker UT Khader, Legislative Council MLA Ivan D'Souza, and Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal also present to extend their greetings.
In Udupi, the Eid Namaz was led by Maulana Obaidur Rahman Nadvi at Hashimi Masjid, Nairkere. The Maulana emphasized the significance of Eid and the importance of love, peace, and harmony in society. A large number of women participated in the Eid Namaz and exchanged greetings.
Special Eid Namaz and Khutba were held at Mulur Juma Masjid, led by Khatib Hafil Muhammad Ashraf Sakhafi. Additionally, an Eid procession commenced from Kundapur Juma Masjid, culminating in a special Namaz at Kundapur Eidgah Maidan under the leadership of Maulana Karr Hussain.
Special prayers were also led by Maulana Muzammil Nadvi at Gangoli Juma Masjid, Khatib Maulana Abdul Karim Nadvi at Mohidin Juma Masjid, and Maulana Rehmatullah Kolkar Nadvi at Shahi Juma Masjid.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
