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Hyderabad, July 9 ( NAJAF ALI SHOUKAT PMI ) – The historic Bibi Ka Alam, which dates back to the Qutb Shahi era, was taken out on the day of Ashura, the 10th of Muharram (July 6), at exactly 1:00 PM. Mounted on a beautifully adorned elephant, the procession passed through various localities of Hyderabad and concluded at 8:00 PM at Ashurkhana Bait-ul-Huzn near Masjid-e-Ilahi, Chaderghat. Prior to the start of the procession, a condolence gathering (Majlis-e-Pursa) was held at Alawa-e-Bibi by “Grouhe Shaida-e- Shabbir (a.s),” where Allama Ejaz Farooq delivered a sermon.
The procession covered approximately seven kilometers in seven hours in a peaceful and spiritually charged atmosphere. At two points along the route, the elephant appeared slightly uncontrollable, but the mahout was able to bring it under control swiftly. Near Kaman Sheikh Faiz, close to the landmark known as “Pathar ke Makaan,” there was an attempt to shift the sacred Alam from the elephant to a DCM vehicle. This move drew strong objections from mourners and chest-beaters, who insisted on upholding the centuries-old tradition. There is a buzz in the community that political interference is crossing its red line due to which the traditional customs and practices are being overshadowed by the propagation of the political parties, their leaders and carder. Community members are of the view that this purely a religious and sacred procession and if somebody is putting in their efforts and work it should be purely for the sake of gratitude towards Prophet Muhammadsawas and his Progeny and not for propagation of political parties and their leaders.
A brief moment of tension arose near Royal Meat Centre on Yakutpura Road when the elephant made a sudden movement. In response, MLC Riyaz-ul-Hasan Effendi appealed to mourners to maintain a safe distance from the elephant to avoid provoking it. Later in the procession, attempts were made to bypass the traditional stop at Bargah-e-Qasim, which angered the mourners. Eventually, the Alam was taken there as per the established route.
A short distance later, Effendi again emphasized the need to transfer the Alam into a DCM vehicle for safety. When the procession reached Ittebar Chowk, a third attempt was made to move the Alam into the DCM. At that point, the mourners, chest-beaters, and other participants rejected the MLC’s appeal outright and responded by raising their voices and proclaiming, “Do not worry. The noble daughter of the Prophet, Bibi Syeda Zehra (sa), is the protector of all mourners and devotees.”
According to MLC Effendi, the repeated suggestion to transfer the Alam into a vehicle was not intended to interfere with the procession, but was a precautionary measure to prevent any possible mishap. Despite this explanation, mourners expressed strong dissatisfaction with what they perceived as continuous interference. As a result, instead of visiting the traditional 27 designated locations, the Alam was taken to only two — Bargah-e-Qasim in Yakutpura and Alawa-e-Sartouq.
Many members of the Shia community observed that they were unable to commemorate the first ten days of Muharram in the manner they usually do. Within the community, discussions are ongoing as to whether political figures are attempting to exert control over Muharram-related religious activities. Some believe that the issue with the elephant stemmed from the failure of the Nizam Trust in fulfilling its responsibilities in a timely and effective manner. They argue that if the Trust takes appropriate action, the government will be able to fulfill its duties as it is currently trying to do and political interference could have been avoided.
To ensure the peaceful and smooth conduct of the procession, the Hyderabad City Police deployed 3,000 personnel and six drones were used for aerial surveillance. All security arrangements were monitored through the Integrated Command and Control Centre, and senior police officials including Additional CP Vikram Singh Mann and DCP Sneha Mehra oversaw the route directly.
This year’s events reflect a larger question regarding how religious tradition, public sentiment, and administrative safety measures can coexist — and whether political influence should have any role in deeply sacred communal expressions. For the mourners, however, the message was clear: any compromise on tradition will not be tolerated, regardless of the intention behind it. (Pressmediaofindia.com)
