Kolkata, Aug 20 (PTI) Shia Muslims in Kolkata observed Muharram on Friday without taking out usual processions for the second consecutive year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Prayers were held in small gatherings to commemorate the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Imam Hussain, maintaining social distancing norms.

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Wearing black dresses, community members followed the rituals in a low-key manner, a Shia leader in the city said.

No procession was taken out anywhere in Kolkata, including Muslim majority areas such as Park Circus, Rajabazar, Kidderpore and Metiabruz, he said.

At Kamarhati and Titagarh in the outskirts of Kolkata, people in small groups covered a distance of one km or so from Shia pockets to the nearby Karbala, he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called for maintaining peace and amity on the day.

"People remember the sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) and recall his courage as well as commitment to justice as also the great importance he attached to peace and social harmony and equality," state Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar tweeted.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)