Srinagar:Holy Islamic month of Ramadhan begun today with closed mosques denying gatherings for prayers, including special prayer taraweeh due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to combat the Covid 19 pandemic.

With the beginning of Ramadhan, almost all Muslim majority countries closed Mosques and people prayed at home in order to counter Coronavirus which has claimed 2.73m lives and 192K deaths globally till date.

Practicing Muslims, abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk during Ramadhan and gather with family to break the fast in the evening, certainly a month of prayers during which followers customarily assemble in huge numbers in mosques, especially during night,

Unfortunately this year Muslims were incarcerated in their respective houses amid the coronavirus outbreak and in addition Nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of deadly virus that has paralyzed the entire world.

Kashmir has seen a series of lockdowns throughout it’s entire history but no one would stop people from offering Taraweeh and other congregational prayers in Masjids but this time, the lockdown is different where the people are restrained at their own places willingly, while people followed the advisory of Ulemmas and offered Taraweeh prayers in their homes.

While talking to KNB one the local said, “The holy month of Ramadhan begun and apart from fasting, markets buzzed even before the commencement of the Ramadhan, people would throng markets for shopping and buying other related stuff but unfortunately for the very first time in living memory, Muslims in Kashmir and all over the world observed the pious month of Ramadhan without offering congregational prayers in Masjids and remained confined to their homes due to nationwide Lockdown.

Another local while talking to KNB said, ” It is very painful that the holy month of Ramadhan arrives amid circumstances that make us unable to perform group prayers and Taraweeh at mosques due to precautionary measures , nationwide Lockdown imposed in order to combat the coronavirus pandemic,”

Meanwhile, with 42 fresh positive cases in last 24 hours including 23 from Anantnag, 5 from Srinagar, 7 from Bandipora, 3 each from Baramulla and Shopian, 1 from Kupwara,taking the total number of cases to 496, in Jammu and Kashmir, 6 of them have died including a 72-year old man from Tangmarg today.

Lt. Governor Girish Chandra Murmu has greeted the people on the commencement of the holy month of Ramadhan and hoped that this auspicious period would be a harbinger of peace, amity, brotherhood, progress, and prosperity in J&K.

In a message, the Lt. Governor said that the holy month of Ramadhan is a period dedicated to fasting, service, and prayers and it underscores the values of austerity, patience, tolerance, and self-restraint which are imperative in practicing social distancing and mitigating the spread of infection in the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lt. Governor hoped that this holy month of Ramadhan will bind us all together and spread peace, harmony, and brotherhood in the Union territory and our nation.