Mumbai: Graveyard, Dargah trusts enchantment in opposition to crowding on Shab-e-Barat | Mumbai Information

MUMBAI: Cemeteries and dargahs in the city have told supporters not to push for Shab-e-Barat, the night Muslims visit cemeteries to pray for the dead.
Shab-e-Baraat is April 12th, but trustees of cemeteries and mausoleums of Sufi saints are creating awareness that the crowd and no more than 50 devotees are allowed to enter the Kabrastan and Dargahs at the same time on holy night. Thursday was Shab-e-Meraj, the night the Prophet is believed to have ascended to heaven, and people were asked to pray at home and not overcrowd the mosques, kabrastans, and dargahs. People by and large followed the instructions.
“We use videos, messages and signs to create awareness that it is not allowed to crowd into Kabrastan. We will keep masks and disinfectants at the gate, but we fear that Shab-e-Barat is overcrowded. A meeting with police officers is scheduled for March 17th, ”said Shoeb Khatib, chairman of the Bombay Jama Masjid Trust, which also manages Bada Kabrastan at Marine Lines.
Sohail Khandwani, executive trustee of Mahim Dargah and trustee of Haji Ali Dargah, said that the police guidelines for Shab-e-Barat are strictly followed. “No sermons or speeches, no qawwali mehfils are allowed in the dargah premises. Our volunteers will regulate the flow of the crowd and we will tell people not to push the dargah on holy night, ”said Khandwani.
Mohammed Salim Yusuf Khan, trustee of Nariyalwadi Kabrastan, said he feared overcrowding in Shab-e-Barat, although the trustees appealed not to overcrowd it. “Thousands come that night to pray for their dead relatives. How can we stop people and control the crowd when the police aren’t helping us? We’ll meet with the cops soon and discuss how to stop people from rushing into the cemetery, ”said Khan.