A political row has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir after the Union Territory (UT) administration, led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, failed to reschedule the public holiday for Eid-e-Milad — one of the most sacred Islamic festivals — which this year falls on Saturday, September 5.
Moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that, for the second consecutive year, the UT administration has ignored changes in the Islamic calendar and failed to adjust the date of a major holiday widely observed by Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir with great fervor.
The controversy over Eid-e-Milad in Jammu and Kashmir has deepened, following the absence of National Conference (NC) leaders at the reopening ceremony of the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar’s Hazratbal locality — once considered a stronghold of the Abdullah family. The shrine, redesigned under a Wakf Board project, was inaugurated on September 3 by its chairperson and senior J&K BJP leader, Darakshan Andrabi.
NC vice president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah alleged that the Union Territory administration’s “deliberate decision” to not shift the Eid-e-Milad holiday from Friday to Saturday was “inconsiderate and aimed at hurting the sentiments” of Muslims in J&K.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Grand Mufti of J&K Nasir-ul-Islam also condemned the administration for “disregarding” people’s sentiments, but accused Abdullah of being “complicit” in the decision.
Eid-e-Milad, which marks the birth of Prophet Muhammad, is celebrated on 12 Rabi al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. In the list of public holidays issued by J&K’s General Administration Department (GAD) on December 29, 2024, September 5 was marked as the holiday, with the caveat that all Muslim festivals are “subject to the appearance of the moon.”
On Friday, the Grand Mufti urged the government to respect the “sanctity of religious occasions,” stressing that Eid-e-Milad would be observed on Saturday as per moon sighting. “It is unfortunate that the government failed to synchronise the notification. This mismatch reflects a negative approach towards a revered day of spiritual and religious significance,” he said.
The GAD, which functions under the Chief Minister’s office, prepares the holiday calendar, but most departments are headed by IAS officers who report directly to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Calling the refusal to shift the holiday “totally unjust,” NC leader and Education Minister Sakina Itoo wrote on X:
“What does ‘subject to appearance of the moon’ mean if it is not followed? Despite repeated requests from the elected government to shift the holiday, no action has been taken. This is playing with the emotions of the people. Such decisions must rest with the elected government.”
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in his Friday sermon, condemned the “utter disregard” shown by authorities, calling it “deliberate negligence” and “unacceptable” to the Muslim community. He also criticised the silence of the elected government, saying it had failed to stand up for the people of J&K.
Meanwhile, PDP leader Iltija Mufti targeted the Abdullah-led NC government, calling the decision “unfortunate.”
“Month after month we witness how the NC government, even with a brute majority, legitimises such atrocious decisions. India’s only Muslim-majority state doesn’t even have the freedom to declare our cherished religious occasions,” she said.
After widespread criticism, Omar Abdullah reiterated on X that the holiday calendar clearly mentioned “subject to the appearance of the moon,” and alleged that the “deliberate decision by the unelected government” to not shift the holiday was intended to “hurt people’s sentiments.”
On September 3, the Wakf chairman inaugurated the ‘Mega Construction and Beautification Project’ of the Hazratbal shrine, attended by board members and religious scholars. However, ruling party leaders were notably absent.
Last week, another controversy erupted after Abdullah was reportedly denied entry into the main sanctum of the Hazratbal shrine in the presence of Andrabi — a claim the ruling party later denied.
