Kolkata marked Eid-ul-Adha under a changed administrative template as the city’s largest congregation moved from Red Road to Brigade Parade Ground, while tighter rules on public prayers and animal slaughter reshaped the festival’s logistics across West Bengal.
The shift ended a decades-old practice under which Red Road, one of central Kolkata’s most visible ceremonial avenues, hosted a mass Eid congregation that drew large crowds and required traffic diversions across parts of the city. This year, the main gathering was held at Brigade Parade Ground after meetings between Kolkata Police and the Calcutta Khilafat Committee, with officials seeking to keep arterial roads open and limit disruption to public movement.
The change coincided with the BJP-led state government’s renewed emphasis on preventing religious gatherings from spilling on to public roads. Police and administrative officials held consultations with mosque committees, imams and organisers before Eid-ul-Adha, asking them to manage prayers inside mosques, designated grounds or other approved spaces. Several mosques arranged multiple prayer shifts to accommodate devotees without blocking nearby roads.
At Brigade Parade Ground, organisers prepared for one of the city’s biggest Eid gatherings, with arrangements for sound systems, crowd movement, parking, barricades and emergency access. The congregation drew a large turnout, though officials kept Red Road open to regular traffic, marking a clear departure from earlier years when the road became the focal point of the festival.
The administration framed the move as a public-order and traffic-management measure rather than a restriction on worship. Community organisers, while adjusting to the changed venue, worked with police to ensure prayers were completed peacefully. The Calcutta Khilafat Committee, which has long been associated with the Red Road congregation, accepted the alternative arrangement after discussions on crowd control and route management.
The second major change concerned animal sacrifice. Ahead of Eid-ul-Adha, the state government reinforced rules under the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, and earlier court directions requiring certification before cattle or buffaloes can be slaughtered. The rules cover cows, bulls, bullocks, calves and buffaloes, and require approval from competent authorities, including veterinary certification, before slaughter is permitted.
The Calcutta High Court declined to stay the state’s notification, holding that the measure followed existing legal provisions and earlier judicial orders. The decision gave the administration legal backing to press ahead with enforcement during the festival period, even as opposition voices and sections of the community questioned the timing and practical effect of the restrictions.
Police meetings across Kolkata and its suburbs focused on preventing unlawful slaughter in public places and ensuring that any sacrifice complied with the certification regime. Imams and community leaders urged worshippers to follow official rules and avoid confrontation, while also asking the authorities to apply the law without discrimination.
The restrictions altered the economics of Eid purchases. With cattle availability falling sharply, demand shifted towards goats and sheep, pushing prices higher at major markets including Narkeldanga and Watgunge. Traders reported that animals that cost about ₹40,000 earlier were selling for ₹65,000 to ₹70,000 in several cases, with supplies arriving from outside the state to meet demand.
For many households, the shift increased the financial burden of qurbani. Shared cattle sacrifice had often allowed families to divide costs, while goats and sheep usually require separate purchases. Some buyers reduced the number of animals they planned to sacrifice, while others pooled resources within extended families to manage the higher prices.
The government’s approach has also sharpened political debate in West Bengal, where religious observances, public space and animal protection laws have become sensitive issues after the change in power. Supporters of the new rules argue that the state is enforcing long-standing legal provisions and reducing avoidable disruption in urban areas. Critics say the measures have placed sudden pressure on festival arrangements and have disproportionately affected Muslim households and small traders.
Kolkata Police sought to keep the day calm by coordinating with organisers and using traffic plans around central areas. The strategy relied on designated prayer locations, staggered timings at mosques and warnings against blocking public thoroughfares. By spreading worship across multiple spaces, the city avoided the scale of road closures normally associated with the Red Road congregation.
The developments point to a broader administrative reset in how large religious events are managed in the state. Red Road has symbolic value as a public ceremonial space, but the move to Brigade Parade Ground shows a preference for larger enclosed or semi-controlled venues where crowd size, sound, traffic and security can be managed with fewer spillovers into daily movement.
