First batch of Haj pilgrims returns Chennai

Chennai: Tears of joy, content eyes and a sense of achievement filled the air in the Chennai airport as the first batch of Haj pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, who witnessed one of the worst stampedes at the holy place in a decade, landed in the city on Friday. The pilgrims arrived to the warm welcome of their family members, some of them even with garlands.

“It’s a lifetime dream,” said Kamaru Nisha (58) while some others like Qasim Mohammed refered to the Haj pilgrimage as an obligatory duty. Mr.Qasim hails from Pudukottai and works at a private firm in Malaysia. He says that he used his holidays this year to fulfill his father’s wishes. “My father is 75 years old. The state Haj committee gives preference to those above 70 years of age and thus we didn’t have to wait long,” Qasim said.

The Hajis were witness to one of the worst stampedes in a decade in the holy place. An estimated 1,450 persons were killed in the stampede on September 24 which came in the wake of another disaster in Mecca near the Grand mosque two weeks ago when a giant crane collapse led to the deaths of more than 100 people and injured several others. The number of victims from India is estimated to be more than 100 out of which four of them are from TN.

“It must have been around 9-9.30 am. We were sleeping in the compound allotted to us, a good two kilometers from the stampede site. A few hours later, our relatives started calling us and all the phones in the tents were buzzing. That’s how we learnt of the incident,” said, K.Kasim (62). A tailor from Keezhvalai village, Villupuram, he along with his wife Kamaru Nisha Begum (58) took the pilgrimage this year after waiting for two years. “It seems that entry and exit were in the same way and there was some confusion,” said Ms.Kamaru Nisha.

While most members of the contingent from TN stayed in their tents, a few had a close shave as they were on their way towards Mina where the stampede happened. “A few of us were walking from Musdalifah towards Mina. Suddenly, we started to hear ambulance sirens and we realised something was wrong,” said Peer Mohammed (62) of Nagercoil. According to him, there was a sense of panic throughout the day, but from the next day, reserve forces and volunteers were drawn in and things went on as usual.