Kolkata largest Eid gathering took place at Brigade Parade Ground on Thursday rather than the historic Red Road venue. It marks a big change in the city’s traditional Eid prayer arrangements over many years.
Kolkata Red Road Stays Open
The venue change followed several meetings between the Kolkata Police and the Calcutta Khilafat Committee. They discussed crowd management and traffic flow, as well as requests from the newly elected BJP government, which issued new guidelines against religious gatherings on public roads.
“For the first time since 1978, namaz not offered on roads anywhere in West Bengal,” said Amit Malviya, a senior BJP leader and co-incharge of West Bengal, on X. Local media reported that Eid prayers held at Brigade Parade Ground on the very first day of the former Left Front government in 1978.
Eid gathering at Brigade Parade Ground
Brigade Parade Ground is located in the heart of Kolkata and managed by the Army’s Eastern Command. It has hosted major political rallies, state events, and public gatherings. This ground was the site where Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi spoke at a large joint rally on February 6, 1972.
Officially named Indira Gandhi Sarani, Red Road is a 2 km-long boulevard from the British era that connects Fort William to Eden Gardens. The road got its name from the crushed red soil used in its paving. Built in 1820, it served as an emergency runway during World War II. The annual Republic Day Parade in Kolkata held on this iconic stretch.
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