AgenciesPosted: Wed Nov 17 2010, 14:57 hrsDhaka:======================================================================
Bangladesh on Wednesday celebrated Islam's second biggest festival of Eid-al-Adha by slaughtering millions of cattle, nearly six weeks after authorities lifted a nationwide anthrax alert.
Television reports and residents said tens of millions of Muslims joined the annual prayers in mosques and open fields called 'Eidgahs' across the country ahead of slaughtering the animals with a spirit of sacrifice recalling the Prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham) readiness to sacrifice his own son to God centuries ago.
Dhaka, however, wore a deserted look as most of the residents went to their village homes to celebrate the festival as the country had a three-day national holiday.
Major public buildings and thoroughfares of the capital were decorated with national flags and banners inscribed with 'Eid Mubarak' while many government buildings were set to be illuminated with colourful lights in the evening as part of the traditional Eid celebrations.
President Zillur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Khaleda Zia issued statements greeting the countrymen on the eve of the festival.
The cattle traders and livestock officials said they estimated some 15 million cows and goats were slaughtered this year with good supplies of animals to the makeshift cattle markets, where authorities deployed veterinary doctors to check the animal health.
"We have checked most of the animals brought to this market particularly to see if those are inflicted with anthrax but found none of the animals to carry the bacterial disease," a veterinary doctor said last evening at Uttara area of the city.
Besides the cows and goats, Bangladeshi Muslims also sacrificed hundreds of sheep and camels, imported from India.
The state-run Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and livestock ministry said some 500 people contracted anthrax as it was detected in 12 of the country's 64 districts inflicting at least 104 cows, of which 37 died and 11 were culled until the nationwide alert was withdrawn on October 7.
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