Mayor in India’s Bihar calls for pausing of Holi celebration during Friday prayers, gets labelled ‘traitor’

In a bid to avoid disruption of Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramzan, the mayor of Bihar's Darbhanga issued a statement to pause the Holi celebrations. This statement by Anjum Ara has stirred a controversy among politicians in the state.

Ara said, "Holi celebrations should be paused for 2 hours in between 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM as the Friday prayer timing cannot be altered."

She said this as a measure to avoid overcrowding near mosques and other religious places.

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Distancing himself from the mayor's statement, Bihar Minister Ashok Chaudhary told media, "We have nothing to do with her statement; it's a wrong statement. The fabric of Bihar is woven with love and brotherhood. My leader's slogan is 'poora Bihar, mera parivar'. People make such statements just to be in the media; I think such people should be removed from the party."

"People should respect all religions. Sanatan Dharma gives the message of love, affection, and brotherhood. This statement is not appropriate at all, and this mentality is also not right. Such mentality should change, and this statement is not acceptable under any circumstances," said another minister, Sanjay Saraogi.

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Mayor Ara received backlash for the statement, after which she issued an apology. "I regret my earlier statement, and since morning, I have received various kinds of responses. Some people called me Bangladeshi; some called me a traitor. I would like to request the media to investigate thoroughly about me, and if any convincing evidence is found, I welcome any strict action that should be taken against me," she told news agency ANI.

"People are free to think what they want, but my only intention was to ensure that Darbhanga remains peaceful. In this context, I made my statement, but if anyone's feelings were hurt, I apologise for that," Ara added.