KOLKATA: In an instance of Hindu-Muslim camaraderie, over 3,000 Muslims gathering at Shamsherganj Idgah in West Bengal's Murshidabad district for Eid prayers donated Rs 49,000 to rebuild the houses of six Hindu families that were gutted in an accidental fire before Eid.
The gesture was prompted after the local Idgah committee secretary Lutfal Haque urged the Muslims to donate money during the Eid prayers on Saturday. Soon, namaazis donated whatever money they had with them and Rs 49,000 was collected, sources revealed.
Some 26 people of the six families became homeless and presently staying in tents at a child welfare centre after a fire was started at the residence of Phulkumari Bhaskar on Thursday from burning firewood and soon spread to the other houses of the Hindu neighbourhood.
"I was at a grocery shop near my residence with my nine-year-old daughter when the fire started. Upon return, I found my house on the flames. However, I alerted other villagers and nobody was hurt," she said. The victims said that the gesture extended by their Muslim neighbours cemented the centuries-old camaraderie between the two communities. Work on rebuilding the houses is expected to commence soon.