MANGALURU: A clash broke out between two groups on Monday over the issue of offering Eid prayers at Ullal Dargah. Though one group of Muslims celebrated Ramzan and offered Namaz at Ullal Sayyad Madini Dargah on Sunday, another group, identified with Samasta Sunni Federation (SSF), celebrated the festival on Monday as the Ullal Khazi sighted the crescent moon on Sunday.
As the crescent moon was sighted at Bhatkal on Saturday, both Udupi and Mangaluru Khazis decided to celebrate Ramzan on Sunday. Hence, one group which had celebrated the festival on Sunday, objected to the move of celebrating it on Monday. Following this, the administration committee of Ullal Dargah decided to lock it.
A large number of SSF followers then rushed to the dargah and attacked one Mohammed, who was believed to have locked the Dargah. This led to a clash between the two groups. A team of policemen headed by DCP (Law and Order) K M Shantharaju rushed to the spot and managed to bring the situation under control. Later, police allowed the public to offer prayers at the dargah after asking the management committee to remove the lock.
SSF leader Ashraf said some self-proclaimed experts had tried to misguide devout Muslims. The confusion in the region is due to the absence of a central moon-sighting committee exclusively for the coast. “Bengaluru and the rest of the state have their own moon sighting committees that accurately record the time of sighting the crescent. We have to depend on different mosques in the coastal region for accurate information which creates confusion,” some clerics said.