Barabanki (UP), March 21 As Muslims across North India celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday, members of the Shia community in Kintur village in the Badosarai area here did not.
They refrained from celebrating Eid this year to mourn the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, caused by airstrikes by the US and Israel on March 1.
A sense of gloom has settled over the community, as the deceased Iranian cleric had a familial connection to the area.
Sarwar Ali, caretaker of the 19th-century monument, Waqf Nawab Amjad Ali Khan Imambara, said that people in the area gathered on Eid-ul-Fitr to condemn the joint military action by the US and Israel against Iran, calling it "unjust" and chanting slogans against Israel.
"The Shia families did not observe any festivities this year. They did not prepare 'sewaiyaan' (sweet vermicelli) at home or embrace each other; they only offered the congregational prayers. A peaceful protest demonstration was carried out," he said.
Dr Rehan Kazmi, a resident of Kintur village, said that there is a sense of gloom following the killing of Khamenei.
According to locals, Kintur shares a familial connection with Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, the mentor of the deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A forefather of Khomeini – who is known for leading Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 and is the founding father of the Islamic Republic – is believed to have migrated from Kintur village to Iran around 150 years ago.
Although much has changed over time, villagers said that the lineage and its historical association continue to hold emotional significance.
Syed Nihal Ahmad Kazmi, who claimed to be a descendant of Khomeini's family, had earlier told