The Kerala government on Monday, May 2, declared Tuesday, May 3, also a state government holiday on account of Eid-Ul-Fitr. On Sunday, May 1, Muslim clerics announced that as the moon was not sighted, Eid will be celebrated on Tuesday in the state. By then, Monday was already announced as a public holiday. Following this, Monday and now Tuesday have turned out to be public holidays in the state. All university examinations slated for Tuesday will now be held on a later date.

With the COVID-19 pandemic also receding, eidgahs have come up for the first time since 2019 and Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has already announced he will be taking part in the morning prayer session, in the state capital city.

Muslims in Kerala account for 26% of the 3.30 crore state population and is the second in the list after the Hindu population (54%), while the Christian community accounts for 18%.

For the past two years, Muslims in India have been observing the fasting month and celebrating Eid in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, many of the COVID-19 curbs have been lifted following a dip in cases and vaccination of people.

With IANS and PTI inputs